Extended Vacation
by nats10art
Summary: Me and my friend Samantha go on vacation to a seemingly normal island. What might happen if that island took us to the world of Naruto, with no way back? Warning: SPOILERS in later chapters
1. Prologue

**Extended Vacation**

Prologue

"NO!" I called.

Then, I heard footsteps. Someone was running. Was it me? "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I heard someone cry, but I couldn't recognize the voice at the time.

"I'll be fine!" I called back. I didn't know why I said this, or what I was doing. I couldn't see anything.

"You'll _kill_ yourself!"

It began to echo. "Kill yourself! Kill yourself. Kill yourself…."

I sat up in bed, scared half out of my wits. I was known to have dreams with meanings, so any dream _remotely_ creepy kind of freaked me out.

My alarm rang. I moaned. "Why did I set the alarm?" I asked myself. "It's summer." I thought a moment. "Oh! Today's the day!"

Dream forgotten, I leapt out of bed.

* * *

Author's note: Yes it's short. I know. BUT it's just a prologue. The actual chapters shall be longer, i promise! :D


	2. Part 1 Chapter 1

"Hey, Sam!" Samantha, my best friend, stood at the door. Her dark brown hair - almost black, even - was tied back, two "hangy-thingies," as we call them, as her bangs in somewhat of an imitation of Itachi. When down, her hair went a bit past the middle of her back. I, on the other hand, had _light_ brown hair that went only a little past my shoulders. I was trying to grow my hair out, though. (My mom made me cut it two summers in a row.) She was taller than me, although we were the same age.

"Heyo!" she greeted. My dad came up behind her, smiling and holding some of her things. He had short brown hair, combed neatly, along with a graying beard (sideburns and all) and mustache. He was wearing a fishing shirt, typical of him. He was a hunter/fisher/wildlife expert/etc. He was a nice guy, and almost always the one to take me and my friends places.

I looked at Sam's clothing. She wore her favorite shirt: her Gaara shirt. I wore my Naruto vs Akatsuki shirt. "Ya know," I said, "I can understand why you like Gaara."

"He's mine," she hissed.

"I know," I replied, rolling my eyes. "Are you ready?" She smiled, and nodded. "C'mon then!" I led her to the living room, where I had everything packed.

Today we were going on vacation together, with my parents of course. Well, we were going with my dad and Sandy, his fiancé. My mom wouldn't be coming. She never was one to go out with us much, even when my mom and dad were married.

Our vacation was at a special house we had bought on a small island in the ocean. One of the best parts was that it was only 5 minutes away. It was called Maxey Island, named after the first child who went missing. The first lost was a young boy between eight and ten, was named Max, thus the name Maxey Island. The second was an infant girl named Sophia who disappeared years after. Her mother was a jeweler, and that was about all I knew.

I wasn't afraid of any of this, though. Who knows, maybe we'd encounter a ghost or something. I've always liked the supernatural stuff. "We should probably put your stuff in the car."

She grinned. "Probably."

Someone burst in the door. "Don't you _dare_ leave without saying good-bye!" the girl yelled. She rushed up and glomped Sam.

"Sarah!" Sam cried. "Don't kill me! I'm too young to die!"

I laughed and pried Sarah off of Sam. Sarah was, of course, wearing her Akatsuki shirt. She'd wear it for a few weeks straight if she could. Her hair was about the same length as mine, but reddish brown. She grinned at me, and squeezed me tight. I could have sworn my ribs would break one day.

She soon let go, and her smile was instantly wiped off of her face. She stuck out her bottom lip and began to pout. "I'm mad now! Why couldn't you take me too?"

"Well," my dad said, "you might not fit, since Natalie packed enough to live there!" Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that. My name's Natalie.

I hit him on the arm. "You don't _deserve_ to go!" Sam said jokingly. I hit_ her _on the arm.

Then, I asked, "What the flarp? How are we all wearing Naruto shirts?"

"Hurry up!" my dad called, already in the car.

How'd he get there so fast? Is he a ninja? _Ooh_, I thought excitedly. _My dad's a _ninja_!_

"We should probably hurry," I said. "You don't like my dad mad..." We all started hurrying to get our stuff in the car, and Sam and I waved out good-byes to Sarah as we left. Excitement bubbled in my stomach as we headed off.

* * *

"Ah, I love the beach," I sighed. I spoke the truth. I especially liked riding the waves. Not with a surfboard, but when the waves tried to suck you in, or push you out. It was fun.

"Me too!" We had already made it to our special island. "Hey, wanna do a message in a bottle?" she asked.

"Sure!" We got my Sandy's permission, and wrote a note on a small piece of paper. We decided to have some fun with it. It read:

_Gaara of the Sand – _

_I love you!_

_~ Samantha_

_Naruto Uzumaki – _

_Hi Naruto! How are you?_

_~ Natalie_

I laughed at what Sam wrote, and she glared at me. I shut my mouth. Another thing to mention, if you haven't noticed: she was a Gaara fangirl. Well, at the time she was trying to decide on either Itachi or Gaara. We rolled up our note, put it in the bottle, and threw it into the ocean.

The next morning, I had woken up earlier than normal. I had had the dream again. You know, the creepy one whare I can't see anything and the echoing 'You'll kill yourself'? As we ran out to the beach, near noon, we immediately ran to the water. Sam kept running, but I stopped. I saw a bottle in the water near the shore. "Sam!" I called.

"Yeah?"

"Look what I found," I said as I picked the bottle up.

"Is it ours?" she asked.

"Let's see." I opened it and took out the note. It said:

_Natalie – _

_I'm good. Should I know you? And what's with Samantha liking Gaara?_

_~ Naruto Uzumaki_

I looked at the note incredulously. I looked at Sam, whose face was awestruck. "Let's send another note," I suggested. She nodded. She wrote:

_Naruto Uzumaki – _

_I just like him, okay? By the way, do you live by the beach?_

_~ Samantha_

"This isn't you, right?" she asked.

I shook my head. We got a note back the next day.

_Samantha – _

_Okay then_…._ No, I don't live by the beach. I'm just visiting the Land of Waves. I'm leaving tomorrow, so I guess this is good-bye. I'm not good at this kind of stuff, so I'll just leave it at that._

_~ Naruto Uzumaki_

We sent a note back that said good-bye, but there was no answer. I stuffed the notes in my pocket for safekeeping, slightly sad that our possible contact with the Naruto world had ended.

"Do you think it was really Naruto who answered?" Sam asked one night.

"I don't know," I answered. "But if it was, how did he reach it? Wouldn't he be from a whole other world, if he exists?"

"I guess. Maybe this is a magical island," she suggested with slight sarcasm.

I chuckled. _Yeah, right. Magical. _"Maybe."

"Oh! Isn't today the Naruto Shippuden marathon?"

"Oh yeah!" I began to set up my room for the occasion. I set our beds so we could see the TV, and set a small snack table in the back corner. Upon it I put a variety of foods, even ramen to get in the "Japanese mood." I also set out all of the Naruto show items from both of our collections.

I sat on my bed, and began to bounce up and down. Samantha put her hand on my shoulder to stop me. What? I was getting hyper. These things did that to me. I turned on the television, and flipped it to Disney XD. Then, I grabbed a cup of ramen and gobbled it down, barely even tasting it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sam asked jokingly.

I stopped. _She was the person in my dream._

"What?" she asked worriedly. "Was it something I said? …What did you imagine?" She meant the times I'd stop chewing or choke when I saw an image that made absolutely no sense. Like the one time I saw Sasuke hopping on one foot – it was supposed to be a dance.

"No…. I've been having this dream. You were in it; you said that."

"Oh. Well, try not to worry about it now. The marathon is about to start!"

We were so into the marathon. I rooted for Naruto whenever he fought, and Sam cried when Gaara died (at which point Sandy came in and tried to comfort her asking what was wrong; I had to laugh). We laughed at every funny part. It was certainly a fun time. Unfortunately, it went all night.

During a commercial, we said our last words before we went to sleep. "If this island really is magical, maybe it will take us there," I said quietly. Both of us knew how much the other actually really wanted to go there.

"I hope so. That would be fun!"

"Well, let's hope it will happen."

"Yeah…." She drifted to sleep. I soon followed.


	3. Part 1 Chapter 2

I awoke from a peaceful night. It was the first night in over a week that I'd gone without the nightmare. I sighed. Ah, the air was so fresh and clean. I turned over, my hand skimming the bed. I stopped. I felt grass, not fabric.

I opened my eyes to take a peek at my surroundings. I sat up, and pinched myself repeatedly. It hurt. This was real.

We were in a clearing, in a forest. However, the trees weren't realistic, they were anime. I jumped to my feet. I looked down, to see Sam lying on the grass. "Sam, wake up!"

She shifted. "Not now…."

I shook her. "Look around you!"

Her eyes opened. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, and looked around her. She rubbed her eyes, and looked again.

"It's real," I murmured. "Trust me, I pinched myself." She pinched me. "Hey! What's that for?"

"'Cause I wanted to pinch you," she replied with a shrug. I crossed my arms.

She got to her feet and I looked her over. She looked… different. She had white streaks in her hair, for one. Also, she no longer wore her Gaara pajamas. Instead, she wore a black T-shirt and black pants, her shirt having a small red star on her left shoulder. Her black village band was around her waist like a belt. It showed that she was from the Village Hidden in the Sand. Go figure.

I looked down at myself. I wasn't wearing my nine-tailed fox pajamas anymore. I wore a dark blue shirt with black pants, my shirt also having a star on my left shoulder, only mine was white. I licked my teeth, no braces. I put my hand in my pocket to find I still had the notes. I felt my forehead to find a headband covering it.

Then I walked over to the tree, to reach out and touch it, to see if this was all real. My fingers scraped across the bark before I realized I would touch it. The tree didn't _look_ like it had depth, but it had as much depth as a "real world" tree. My eyesight was sharp, as was my sense of smell. I could smell things I never could before. The same went for my hearing. It wasn't superhuman hearing, but it was still better than before. My thoughts turned to my headband, which seemed to fit perfectly despite my small head.

Sam was looking at her hair, confused, when I asked, "What does my headband say?"

"You're from the Leaf Village."

"Do you know yours?"

"Yeah, I looked."

"Well, I guess we can believe that island is magical," I remarked.

"Yeah."

"I wonder where we are." It's funny how we immediately assumed we were in the Naruto world. For all we knew, we could be in the world of Inuyasha, or Fullmetal Alchemist, or Dragon Ball Z. If it were one of those worlds, we wouldn't do so good. We didn't know those worlds as well as we did this one. It was then we heard voices. Two people came walking into the clearing; a girl and a boy. We recognized them immediately to be Naruto and Sakura; and their outfits showed us we were in the Shippuden timeline. When they saw us, we could tell they were surprised.

"Who're _you_?" Naruto asked.

"Be polite," Sakura said. "My name is Sakura Haruno, and this is Naruto."

"Uzumaki!" Naruto added. "Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage of the Leaf!"

I smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Natalie, and this is Samantha. You can call her Sam though."

"Those names sound familiar," Naruto remarked. Sam shrugged. "Hey, you're from the Sand Village. Are you friends with Gaara?" he asked.

Sam didn't answer at first. "All of his people are his friends," she said quietly.

"Well put," I complimented.

"Well, I mean does he know you? Have you met him face to face?"

"No."

"You're from the Leaf Village, right?" Sakura asked me.

"Yeah…."

"I haven't seen you before."

"I've been out on missions," I said without thinking.

"Well, do you have a room yet? If not, we can help you find one."

"Fine by me."

So, we walked with our "new" friends, wondering what amazing things could happen next. After all, we'd just gone to a world we thought didn't exist, and now just met two of the main characters. I think I'd consider that amazing.

* * *

"Wow, our first day went by fast," I remarked.

"Yeah! I hope I'll be able to meet Gaara soon," Sam replied.

"Well, you'll eventually have to go to your village."

"Yeah…."

"My question is: how do we get home?"

"You think I'll know?"

"Neither of us do. We just have to hope this all works out."

"I guess."

I sighed heavily. We were already in our rooms. We had no pajamas, so we had to sleep in our clothes. I bet Sam missed her Gaara PJs. I snickered at the thought.

We had already took a look in the mirror, and were still wondering where our clothes went and why Sam's hair was streaked. I actually kind of liked how we looked. I sat up and quietly untied my headband. I took it off and set it on the bedside table.

Sam looked at me kind of funny. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to my forehead.

"What?"

"…Check the mirror."

I jumped to my feet and walked to the bathroom. When I reached the mirror, I found a dark line on my forehead. _What is that? _I wondered. I knew, however, that there would be a long day tomorrow.

I shrugged off the anxiety for the moment, and went to bed.

* * *

I sat bolt upright in bed. I had had the nightmare... _again_. It was really beginning to scare me. I couldn't ignore it if I had it every night. I knew that eventually I'd have to connect it, to figure it out _before_ it happened.

At first I just lay there, eyes wide open, too afraid to go back to sleep. I pondered over what the dream meant. So far, I had figured out that I would probably do something dangerous, and Sam would try to stop me. That was about it.

Before I knew it, light began to pour in from the window. I sat up and got out of bed. I walked over to Sam's bed and whispered, "Sam," to try to wake her up. She shifted. I shook her lightly and whispered her name again. She shifted again, and moaned. "Sam!" I whispered a little louder, and shook a little harder too. Sam was never a morning person.

"Do I _have_ to get up, Mom?" she moaned.

I sighed. "We're meeting Gaara today."

She sat straight up. "We are? What?"

"Okay, that woke you up."

"So we're not meeting him today?"

"Nope. Now come on," I said, and grabbed her arm to pull her out of bed.

"Oh, hey guys!" Naruto called in greeting as we passed Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto was apparently having breakfast there.

"Hey Naruto!" we called back.

"Did you guys like your rooms?"

We nodded. "Thanks for helping us find one," I said.

"No problem."

Sakura walked by, and stopped when she saw our trio. "Are you really eating ramen for breakfast, Naruto?"

He smiled. "Yup."

She sighed. "Well, when you're done, we need to go to the Mission Reception." She looked at Sam. "Maybe we can get a mission to escort you to your village."

"Maybe," Sam answered, shrugging.

"Done!" Naruto called.

"Well, that was quick," Sakura remarked. "Then c'mon!"

"Let's go!" Naruto called excitedly, running ahead.

He got up, and we began to head to the Mission Reception. When we got there, there were the usual people: Iruka Sensei, Shizune, and Lady Tsunade. Kakashi Sensei was waiting for us.

"Hey Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto greeted.

"Hey guys. Who are your friends?"

"This is Natalie, and this is Samantha," Sakura introduced.

"I am Kakashi Hatake. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," we replied.

Sakura turned to Lady Tsunade. "Milady?"

"What is it?"

"I would like to ask permission to escort Samantha back to her village."

"Sure." _Especially if it will keep Naruto from complaining, _she thought.

I blinked. How did I just hear that? I looked over to Sam, and she gave me a puzzled look. She had heard it too. I later learned that, after nights spent thinking about it, that because in the show we could hear people's thoughts, we could hear them now if we listened. Or at least, that's what I figured out. I could be wrong.

I snapped back to reality, and thought about her answer for a moment. "Can I come along?" I asked.

"That would be up to them," she replied, gesturing to Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto.

I turned to them. "I say it's up to these two," Kakashi said.

"I don't mind," Sakura said.

"Sure!" Naruto happily accepted.

Sam looked at me excitedly, not saying a word. I smiled in return. We could stay together a little bit longer. We were best friends, we didn't exactly want to part quite yet. When we imagined the _wonderful adventures _we would have in the Naruto world if it existed, it was always imagined that we were together.

"Then we'll leave tomorrow," Kakashi ordered.

"Very well then," Lady Tsunade said.

"Meet me at the bridge tomorrow morning."

"Right!" we all said in unison.

* * *

"Where's Kakashi Sensei?" Naruto moaned.

"He _always _does this," Sakura answered.

"Hi, guys," Kakashi Sensei said as he appeared on one of the gates to the bridge. He was late. Go figure.

"Where were you?" Naruto asked angrily.

Sam and I just stood there. "Sorry I'm late," he replied. "I guess I just got lost on the path of life." Typical.

"That's a lie!" Naruto yelled.

"Give us a break," Sakura sighed.

"Let's get going," I suggested. Everyone looked at me.

Sakura nodded. "Right!"

* * *

We lay at camp on our second day of travel. Sam and I lay side by side. We were still awake, but everyone else was asleep; everyone but Kakashi, anyway. He sat by the fire, gazing silently into the flames. He was on watch, of course.

"Tomorrow we make it to the Sand Village," Sam whispered.

"Yeah…." I knew that meant that was just one day closer to Sam and I being split up. We wouldn't see each other often after that. We would live in separate villages. And then, what of home? "What about home?" I asked quietly. "_That's_ where we live, not here. Are we just going to forget about that right away, without even _trying _to find a way back?"

"Are you really already missing home?"

"Not really, but we'll have to go back eventually."

"Well then we_ will _try…. We will; I promise."

"Okay…." My mind turned to the repetitive nightmare. "I still have that nightmare, by the way."

"The one I'm in?"

"Yeah."

"Hmmm…. Do you suppose it would happen while we're here?"

"Maybe…." A cold sense of dread grew inside of me. I knew that if I did anything reckless here, the result could be death. Ninja skills versus untrained girl equal me dead. So_ that_ could be why Sam had said I would kill myself by doing whatever I was doing.

"Well, good night," she said, and drifted to sleep.

I, however, couldn't. I was too busy pondering over that nightmare. I tried to change the thoughts going on in my mind, to change the subject, but it did no good.

I turned over and sighed. I knew it was going to happen one way or another. _I guess I just have to enjoy myself for now, _I thought. I looked at Kakashi. _I wonder if I can hear him..._

I listened for a bit, and I finally heard his thoughts. _If their village isn't their home, than what is? _he wondered.

_Oops, _I thought to myself. _He overheard us. Darn ninja hearing!_ I tried to listen in on his thoughts again, but to no avail. _Maybe this "power" fades the longer we stay here._ I suggested to myself.

I pondered over that for a bit, slowly drifting off to sleep; where my mind began to wander….

* * *

I sat bolt upright in my sleeping bag. Yet again, I had had the nightmare.

"You're up early," Kakashi remarked.

"Yeah…."

Sam stirred. Kakashi got to his feet. "All right, time to wake up."

Both Sam and Naruto moaned. Sakura sat up and slowly got to her feet. I got to my feet as well, then leaned down beside Sam.

"We're meeting Gaara today," I whispered.

Her eyes shot open. "I'm up!" She sat up.

Naruto slowly sat up. He stretched and yawned. He blinked, then jumped to his feet. "All right, I'm ready!"

* * *

We stood at the entrance to the Sand Village. The guards saw us, and asked our reason for coming.

"We are here on a mission to escort this young lady back to her village," Kakashi replied.

"Okay…."

"And a friendly visit from four Leaf Village ninjas," Sakura added.

They let us through. Luckily enough, we saw Temari right as we walked in. She used to be Sam's second favorite character. Of course, now it was Itachi. …Or was it? He was truly the bad guy now, even if he wasn't _actually _a bad guy. People just thought he was.

"Hey guys, what brings you here? And who are your friends?"

"This is Natalie," Sakura said, gesturing to me. I gave a little wave. "And this is Samantha, from your village. You can call her Sam though." Sam just smiled.

"And we're on a mission to escort her back here," Naruto added.

"Hmmm… would you like to visit Gaara? I'm sure he has a bit of time," Temari suggested.

"Sure!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

"We'd love to, if it isn't much trouble," Sakura said.

"No, not at all."

I looked at Sam to see her eyes sparkling with joy - literally. Gotta love anime. I knew she'd never thought she'd see this day. Gaara was not only her favorite, she actually loved him. (Ahem, she was a fangirl.) I, though, was having trouble liking someone: Naruto. Because Sam loved Gaara, I didn't want to "take" him. So, I tried to "like" Naruto instead. Some moments were easier than others to like about him. Even now, after I had met him face to face, it still wasn't all that easy.

I _would _like the Akatsuki, but, well, that obviously would end up with me getting killed. I kinda didn't want to be killed. It would be nice to meet them though, and them not kill us. …Deidara in particular.

"Let's go see if he's open," Temari said, and we headed in the direction of the house of the Kazekage.

* * *

"Gaara, are you available for a minute?" Temari asked, cracking open his door. "There are people who would like to see you."

"Come in," I heard from the other side.

I took a glance at Sam, who looked overjoyed to hear his voice. _Imagine what she'll do when she _sees_ him in person, _I thought to myself.

Temari opened the door to reveal Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi to Gaara.

"Hey Gaara!" Naruto greeted.

"What brings you here all the way from the Leaf Village?"

"They're here on a mission to escort someone here," Temari said, gesturing to the door.

I began to walk in, but Sam seemed paralyzed. I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room. She walked along, me as her guide, until she saw Gaara. There, she stopped. I knew that she was probably thinking how much more "prettyful" he was in person. She liked the word prettyful.

"H-hi Gaara," she stammered, her eyes wide open and staring. "Er... Lord Gaara." I, personally, never thought I'd see Sam nervous. She wasn't the nervous type.

I listened intently, to see his reaction. _Who is she? _he thought. _She's from the village, I should recognize her._

"This is Samantha, from your village," I introduced. "You can call her Sam though." He looked at me. "I'm Natalie, her friend." He gave a curt, understanding nod.

"All right guys," Temari said. "A Kazekage is always busy."

She led us out of the room, Gaara watching us go from behind.

* * *

I sat bolt upright in bed. The dream was especially vivid that time. _It's coming closer._

I looked over at the bed beside me. Sam sat, head in hands, at the edge.

"Don't stay up too late," I whispered.

"I got to meet Gaara, Natalie. I got to meet Gaara, and I ruined it."

"You didn't ruin it," I assured her. "You were just a little shy."

"I'm never shy." She wasn't convinced.

"Do you want to watch the sun rise?" I asked. "It helps me feel better." I had watched the sunrise a lot lately; to calm my nerves after that nightmare. It helped.

"Sure."

We went out to the village walls. The sunrise was beautiful on the seemingly endless dunes of sand. It was like a painting; pure, untouched, and nothing to disturb it. Everything seemed still until we saw something off in the distance.

"What _is_ that?" Sam asked.

I squinted my eyes to have a look. It looked like a lot of ninjas, from another village. They were going to attack the Sand Village. Wait… what?

"Sam," I said seriously. "They're from another village. They're going to attack."

Her eyes widened. We rushed off to wake the others.

* * *

"Sakura! Sakura, wake up!"

She opened her eyes and blinked. "What is it Natalie?"

"There are ninjas coming to attack!"

"Oh!"

She rushed off to tell Kakashi Sensei. Sam rushed in the door with Naruto. "We need to tell Gaara, and the other Sand Village people," I said.

"Right!" Naruto said, and rushed off. We followed, coming to Gaara's home.

"Gaara!" Naruto called.

"I'm right here," he said. He was right by the door. "What's wrong?"

"There are ninjas coming to attack your village!" Sam exclaimed.

His eyes widened slightly. "Find Temari and Kankuro to warn them. I'll warn my ninjas of the coming attack." With that, we rushed off in separate directions.

The ninjas from the village Hidden in the Rain, a nearby village, came rushing into the Sand Village, but we were ready. This was weird, since the Rain Village seemed cut of to the rest of the ninja world. They weren't one to attack in groups. And wasn't run by Pain? Or was the civil war still going on? The Sand Village ninjas attacked straight away. It felt strange to hold a kunai knife in my hand. I wasn't one to _kill._

Gaara, Naruto, Sakura, Sam, and I went outside the walls to stop other ninjas before they came in. I may have been only partial to killing the bad guys, but Sam was full on. It seemed as though she wanted to kill _anyone_ who wanted to attack the Sand Village… and Gaara.

As I was truly fighting for the first time, I realized how little experience I had. _I_ would probably be the one to die.

Somehow, though, it seemed easy. My first opponent went down fast. I didn't like what I was doing at _all,_ but I was killing to save lives. As my opponent fell to the ground, however, I got a massive headache that seemed to center on my forehead.

I held my hand there, and I put my headband up to rub the pain's worst point. I rubbed the dark line I had found earlier. As I felt it, it opened up to reveal a third eye.

"Ew…. How did _that _get there?"

The strangest part, though, was what happened next. The man's spirit seemed to lift out of his body… and began attacking his own people. His body still lay there. _What the…? _I wondered. _That's just… creepy._

"What's that?" Naruto asked, squinting up into the sky. I turned to where he was looking. At the moment, it was just a black dot on the horizon, but it was coming closer.

I squinted too, as the dot drew nearer. I could make out a figure, who seemed to be wearing a cloak. He seemed to be on a white bird….

"Deidara," Naruto whispered, narrowing his eyes. He clenched his fists, and shut his eyes tight. When his eyes opened, they were red, and his fine whiskers were jagged.

I saw Sam turn her head to see this, and looked up too see the figure too. She stopped in her tracks. As I glanced to the other side, I saw Sakura take a glance. She rushed off, probably to tell Kakashi. Gaara simply stole a glance and continued to fight.

"You're dead," Naruto whispered.

Suddenly, Naruto began to run, towards the figure. "You're dead!" he repeated.

I knew what would happen next. If no one helped him, he would be the next…. I couldn't let it happen. As my worry grew stronger, I realized… maybe I didn't need to try anymore. Maybe I didn't think of us as just friends….

I snapped back to reality. "_NO_!" I called. I began to run after him, faster and faster.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sam cried from behind.

"I'll be fine!" I called back.

"You'll _kill _yourself!"

I stopped short. _This is the dream._ One of the ninja threw a large shurikan at me. On instinct, I caught it with a single hand.

"I'll be fine," I repeated, and rushed off with the large shurikan as a weapon… if I needed it.

Looks like I'd be meeting Deidara after all.

* * *

"Natalie!" I cried. _Well, this isn't good. She should know what happens if they get caught by him. _I sighed. _We haven't been here even a week and she's already in trouble. Wait… _I'm _the one who gets into trouble, not her!_

"Not again…." I turned to look at the speaker. Kakashi stood by my side with Sakura. "When will he learn?" Then, he rushed off with Sakura.

_What about me…? _I thought. I took a look at Gaara. _As tempting as it is to pummel the guy that kidnapped Gaara, I need to help the village… _my _village._

Gaara called in a few more fighters for outside the city walls, and hopped on his sand. He appeared to want to go after Natalie and the others. He was about to go, when he stopped… right by me. _Does he want me to come along? _I wondered.

He looked down at me. _He's so prettyful._ He held out his hand to help me onto his sand. _Oh my God._

I seemed to float to him, closer and closer. He looked at me in wonder. He looked down, and blinked in surprise. I looked down at my feet, to find a floating rock beneath my feet. "How the hell did that get there?" I asked. Before my eyes, it fell to the ground, me going with it.

"Gah!" I thought I was going to hit the ground, but something stopped me, and picked me up. Gaara's sand had saved me. "Hehe... Thanks."

He gave a curt nod, and we rushed off towards the others.

* * *

"Come on!" I said, annoyed. Before Kakashi, Sakura, Gaara, and I stood Itachi. Of _course _he wanted to delay us. And to think, Itachi would still almost be my favorite if we were at home. At home, I had been debating whether to choose Gaara or Itachi…. I think this was the point where I made my decision. Itachi was the bad guy now. There was no going for him now. Naruto and Natalie were still ahead. We had come all the way to the edge of the forest.

"Remember, don't look him in the eyes… and be very cautious," Kakashi warned as he lifted his headband.

_No chiz, _I thought.

"If someone is caught in his Gen Jutsu, flow your chakra into them. That'll snap them out of it."

I gave a curt nod. _It worked with Naruto._

"All right, cover me."

"Right!" Sakura and I said. Gaara just gave a nod.

Itachi just narrowed his eyes (not that I could look at them), and made a few hand signs with lightning speed. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Kakashi rushed at him, dodging his attacks.

* * *

_Holy crap! _I thought to myself. Sakura and Kakashi were both hiding; it was mine and Gaara's turn to attack. I was really getting tired though. I wasn't exactly used to this.

Gaara made an attack. A cloud of dust ensued afterward, and I couldn't see a thing. When it cleared, it showed Itachi standing there, and a gouge in the ground in front of him.

As I looked, I saw that _Gaara_ lay in that gouge. My eyes widened… and I got _really _mad. When neither Kakashi nor Sakura came out to help, I figured they were occupied.

I really didn't know what I was doing, it was mostly on instinct. I hopped into the air, landed on a tree branch, and shot back down, my fist aiming for his face.

I gave him a hard, painful punch to his jaw. "Take _that_, ya freakin' weasel!"

Somehow, I could hear his thoughts. _I think this is enough, _he thought. Then, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

My fist hit the ground, where he used to be. "...Ow," I said, holding my hand. I looked around; he seemed to be gone. I didn't know how to sense chakra yet. I looked down at Gaara. His eyes were wide open, and his face bore a surprised expression. He wasn't breathing….

I looked down at the ground, fighting back tears, when I heard a crack. I looked back at Gaara, who now had a large crack in his face. Before my eyes, he slowly collapsed. "But that means…."

I looked beside me, where Gaara now stood. He hadn't a scratch on him. "How much did you see…?" I asked timidly.

"Everything; now let's go."

* * *

I heard a battle cry up ahead. Kakashi and Sakura had rejoined our little group. We knew we were getting close, as I recognized the cry to be Naruto's.

We came to a clearing. Deidara was in the air, Naruto was trying to attack him, and Natalie stood on the ground, staring up at him. She looked at us.

"Right on time," she smiled.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called.

Naruto fell back to the ground; at least he landed on his feet. He looked at Kakashi. "What took ya?"

"You should have learned by now not to attack without backup; especially when _you're _the target."

Naruto frowned. "Well, in any case," Natalie said, "we have to fight him."

"She's right you know," Deidara said. He threw his detonating clay creations at us. I don't know how, but I managed to dodge them. Again, it was just on instinct.

Natalie put her hand to her forehead, as though it hurt there. Had Deidara hit her? I looked at her closer. No, there was no scratch or burn, or any mark.

Deidara gave a little laugh. "Now I know for sure…."

"Know what?" I asked angrily.

"Nekomata…. Now I know where that went…. Hmm..."

"Neko-what-a?"

"Nekomata," Kakashi explained, "is one of the nine tailed-beasts. It is the two-tailed cat. From what I know, its power is death, and I think it feeds on deceased people's spirits."

"You're right," Natalie said quietly. "Nekomata has a third eye on top of its head to consume those spirits. It can even control the spirits, and may be related to the Shukaku." She turned to Gaara.

_Holy crap, _I thought. _My best friend's a Jinchuriki. …When did _that _happen?_

"But…." Sakura said. "But wasn't there already a two-tailed jinchuriki? How can it be Natalie?"

"We extracted the two-tailed months ago. Too bad it escaped, yeah. Apparently, it went to someone else's body, hm." Deidara turned back to Natalie. "We lost the five-tailed too, but who knows where _that_ went."

Suddenly, the fight began.

It all happened so fast….

* * *

"He's getting away!" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi put his hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I think he's learned his lesson." Pff, not really. He barely had a scratch on him.

Naruto frowned. "Well, I'm glad that's over," I remarked.

"Yeah, that 'art' wasn't exactly fun," Sakura said, and shook her head. "Too bad he _didn't_ kill himself before, as we thought."

Everyone seemed perfectly fine: me, Gaara, Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto…. _Where's Natalie? _I wondered. "Has anyone seen Natalie?" I asked.

They shook their heads. I squinted at the figure that was getting smaller and smaller. From what I could make out, Deidara had Natalie captive. "_Oh my God, he's got Natalie!_"

"Oh no…," Naruto said, "not another extraction!"

"But that means…," I murmured.

"That we need to hurry," Kakashi finished. "Let's get some rest. Then we can chase them down."

"But they're still in sight, why can't we get them now?" Naruto argued.

"We need our strength; we just fought."

I sighed, and relaxed the best I could. It didn't work well...

* * *

"Dang it; let me go!"

"Shut up!" he answered in annoyance.

I squirmed in the tail of Deidara's clay-made bird. If I didn't get away, I would end up dead. Sam was right, I would kill myself. I knew he would knock me out sometime soon, and I was already pretty beat up. I wasn't exactly the best at fighting.

"You won't get away with this!" I yelled.

"Will you just shut up? You're getting on my nerves, hm. They let me go without Tobi, and _you_ show up."

I scowled and glared at him. He hit me on the back of my head. The world began to spin, until everything went black.

* * *

"All right, our short break is over," Kakashi said.

"All right! I'm ready!" Naruto said.

I was really worried. If we didn't save her, Natalie would be….

We needed to hurry.


	4. Part 1 Chapter 3

Three days later….

"Welcome to our hideout, hm." Deidara said. I didn't answer; I simply couldn't move. I felt paralyzed, and I thought for sure it was a dream. He chuckled, and brought me in.

"Good, you're _finally _here," Hidan said.

"Who's this?" Kisame asked.

"The two-tailed jinchuriki," Deidara replied.

"Who's after her?" Pein asked Zetsu.

"**Naruto Uzumaki, the nine-tailed jinchuriki; Sakura, the one who helped kill Sasori; Gaara, the former one-tailed jinchuriki; and Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja,**" he answered.

"And one unidentified girl," Itachi added.

"The one that punched you?" Kisame taunted.

Itachi didn't answer. _She must have considerable skill, _their leader thought. "We need to get going; it will take three days and three nights."

"Won't it take longer without Orochimaru _or_ Sasori?" Deidara asked.

"I have chakra too!" Tobi protested.

"All the more reason to get started," Pein replied.

I groaned, finally regaining enough strength to move. I sat up with my hand on my head, leaning on my other hand.

"Damn… am I already at this stage? How long was I out?" I asked myself.

"I thought that you had knocked her out."

"I thought so too, hm. Well, all we can do is knock her out again, huh?" Deidara replied. He jumped down from his bird, which disappeared straight after. A small detonating clay bug crawled on my arm, and exploded, giving me a deep gash. The pain was nearly unbearable. I fell back to the ground, clutching my arm.

"That's gonna leave a mark," I gasped. _Darn it_…._ At this rate I'm gonna be dead_!_I can't let that happen_…. _Not only that, but I'm really bleeding. If I do survive, I'll at least have a scar. _I looked up at Deidara, only to see a fist. I fell back to the ground.

* * *

"She can't die, she can't die…," I murmured. "She just can't!" I pushed ahead.

"Slow down!" Sakura called. _They're obviously good friends,_ she thought.

"It's not just that…."

She looked at me from behind, surprised. "What do you mean?"

I slowed to everyone else's pace. "My friend and I aren't from here…."

* * *

Three days and three nights later….

"Have they really delayed us long enough that they haven't put on the forbidden seal?" I asked worriedly.

"Let's hope not," Kakashi answered. "Sakura?"

"Already on it. Stand back."

We got out of the way, and she broke her way into their new hideout. We ran in as fast as we could. What I saw was something I couldn't bear. _We were too late._

Natalie lay on the ground, Deidara standing next to her. She had a large gash in her arm, which looked recent. "Hmm…. Zetsu was right on the money," he remarked. "You guys really were close."

"It's weird," Naruto said. "I barely knew her… but I feel as though I've known her my whole life."

Sakura put her hand on my shoulder to try to comfort me, but I pulled away. I began to cry.

"You monster!" Naruto yelled. "You do this to a girl who just wanted to find her way home!"

"What do you mean by that, hm?" Deidara asked.

"Don't," Kakashi warned. "He might get precious information, which will just make the Akatsuki stronger."

Naruto scowled. As I looked at my dead friend, my tears of grief turned to tears of rage. I really don't know what happened after….

* * *

When I came to my senses, rocks were everywhere. I looked up.

Deidara's body was at the tip of a sharply pointed, jagged rock, and was pierced straight through.** (A/N: Don't kill me**!**TT~TT I is sorry**!**)**

"Woah... What happened?" I asked myself. I looked around, to find that Gaara, Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto were gone. A sudden realization dawned upon me. "So I'm a jinchuriki too…." I looked up again. "I killed Deidara, but I think I've killed my friends as well."

I fell to my knees, exhausted. I fought back the tears that were forming. Out of the corner of my eye, though, I saw a ball of sand rise out of the rocks. "Gaara?"

The sand fell to ground, releasing Gaara, Sakura, and Kakashi. "Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Gaara replied. "It wasn't your fault. I was_ born _a monster. You had it forced into you recently; you didn't know how to control it."

"Yeah, I think you need to work on that," Kakashi remarked.

"Where's Naruto?" I asked as they gazed up at Deidara's pierced body.

"I was only able to protect two," Gaara said sadly.

My eyes widened. "Not him too…."

I heard rocks tumbling behind me. I looked, to see a hand come out of the rocks. None other than Naruto pulled himself up. "That taught him," he grinned, looking up at the rock where his body half lay, half hung.

Then it hit me. "Natalie!" I cried. I began glancing around the area, trying to find the lifeless cadaver I called my best friend.

A hand went gently to my shoulder. "She is lost in the rocks. We'd never find her," Kakashi said. I knew he was right. There was a distant look in his eyes, but I really didn't acknowledge it.

So that was the end. Natalie was dead.

* * *

At Natalie's funeral, I was saddened. ...Although it really wasn't a funeral without her body. There weren't many in this world to know her, let alone like her. Not only that, but we didn't have her body. She would be forever buried in rocks.

I would have willingly done the resurrection jutsu at the cost of my own life, but I didn't know how. Then there was the fact I didn't have her body to resurrect. I also realized that her mom would never know where she was, or that she was dead.

She would never see her home again, or her family; and her family wouldn't see her. She died in an unfamiliar world.

It was at this point that I realized something: this wasn't a game. It wasn't supposed to be fun, coming here to the _Naruto_ world. We used to want to come here so bad. Now, I realized that this wasn't all that great. It wasn't safe, as it was in our daydreams. I couldn't believe that it took my best friends death to realize we were vulnerable in this unfamiliar world. If I didn't train, i may end up with the same fate as her.

Natalie.

Why was it that, to teach a lesson, someone had to die. Oh, I learned my lesson, and it was the most painful lesson I've ever learned. It wasn't like when I was little when I would get a spanking, or when I suffered through boredom by being grounded. No. This time, lives were at stake. Precious friendships.

She was the only connection I had to home other than my bittersweet memories. These memories, I couldn't bear to think of. They weren't there. Not anymore. Natalie was now one of those memories, and I had trouble believing this. There was still a part of me that said this was all a dream. It told me I was in a deep sleep, maybe even a coma, and soon I would wake up in the comfort of a three-dimensional bed. It was too bad that voice was lying. This was all much too real. This couldn't be a dream. This wasn't a nightmare that I could wake up from. This was reality.

I was the last to leave. Gaara did his best to comfort me all the way back to the sand village.

* * *

As I said, i know it happens WAAAAY to fast at first! And as for Deidara, im a deidara fan myself, so... I yet again say that it WILL get better! i have already typed it, and those who have read it say that it definitely gets better along the way! poor natalie... wait did i just kill myself? x.x


	5. Part 2 Chapter 4

Part 2: strangers

It had been two years since Natalie's death, when a cloaked stranger came to the Sand Village entrance. She wore a hood, which shrouded most of her face. Only her mouth and chin showed. Her hands were pale, and her nails were painted black. **(A/N: That's just how I imagined her.) **She looked almost… delicate.

"What is your reason for coming?" one of the guards asked.

"I come for a friendly visit; and for shelter."

"She wears a black cloak…," one of the guards whispered to the other.

"Yes," she replied, "but I have no red clouds. I wear no charcoal. I am in fact against the Akatsuki organization."

"Uh…. You can go in."

With that, she took a steady pace into the village.

The first to meet the cloaked stranger was none other than me. The stranger, however, swiftly avoided me. I, of course, was confused by this action, but continued on my way to my destination: Gaara's house.

We had planned a lunch together that day. Since it had been two years, I had learned to actually speak around him. I guess you could say we were a perfect couple...

I walked into his home. "Gaara?" I called. There was no answer. "Gaara?" I called again, getting worried. I was easily worried.

"I'm here, Sam."

"Okay then!" I said excitedly, and we headed off to lunch, me dragging him along by his arm.

We sat down at our favorite restaurant, which we had gone to many times before. Interestingly enough, the cloaked stranger was sitting at the table next to us.

Gaara and I sat down just as the girl got her meal. "I think I'm done," she said as she hastily got out of her chair.

"What?" the waiter asked. "But you haven't even started your meal!"

"Fine. May I sit over there?" she asked, pointing to the far side of the room.

The waiter blinked. "Uh…. Sure, of course!" She sat at the far side, pretty much as far away from us as possible.

"Well, she's very friendly," I remarked.

"Who is she, do you know?" Gaara asked. "She isn't from the village."

"She came in earlier. I've no clue who she is, but I don't think I trust her."

"She obviously isn't fond of us."

"Yeah."

A waiter came up to their table. "Lord Kazekage! So glad to see you eating here again," he grinned.

"We'll have the usual," I said.

"Right! I'm on it!"

As the waiter left, we began a conversation.

"Don't you ever get… homesick?" Gaara asked.

I looked up at the ceiling, memories swirling through my mind. I still remembered Sarah, Marty (my mom's used-to-be-new husband), my mom... "Yeah… but I'd never go home without my friend," I answered softly. I shut my eyes tight and turned my head to the ground. "I won't just leave her here."

The girl turned her head to us. "Wouldn't she want you to go on?" she asked. "For you to see your family again?"

I looked at her. "I won't take any chances. I'm fine here anyway," I said, and looked at Gaara. I smiled, and he gave a half-smile back. I looked at the stranger again. "What's your name, anyway?" I asked.

At first she didn't answer. "That isn't important. Only if you truly wish to know will I tell."

I frowned. "I truly wish to know."

"I am Naomi." Then, she turned back to her food.

* * *

I was sitting on the ocean shore, and everything was peaceful. I saw a bottle wash up. I picked it up, and opened it to find a note. It was from Natalie, and I could hear her voice reading it. _"Sam. I am still alive. I need help, desperately. Sam, please help me. I need you_!_"_

I looked up from the note. I was no longer on the shore. Instead, I was in a blank world, and I could see Natalie ahead.

"Natalie!" I called. I ran to her, my footsteps echoing, trying to save her, but she kept getting farther and farther away. "Natalie!" I cried.

When she was out of sight, I saw flashes of past events: Natalie, lying dead on the ground with a gash on her arm; Deidara's corpse, pierced straight through; then, the cloaked stranger.

"Just move on," she said. "Forget your friend." Her voice echoed like everything else, even as I ran away from her.

I sat straight up in bed, Naomi's voice still resonating in my ears. It was the same nightmare I'd been having for two years; only now Naomi was in it.

It was nearly dawn. I decided to go out and watch the sunrise to calm my nerves, just as Natalie and I had done two years before.

I found Naomi to be watching the sunrise as well. I gave her a smile in greeting, but she gave none in return. An awkward silence followed as I watched the sun slowly ascend into the early morning sky.

I saw something in the distance. "Not again…," I moaned, realizing they were attackers from the Hidden Rain Village.

With that, I rushed to tell Gaara.

"Gaara!" I called as I reached his home. "The Hidden Rain Village is attacking again!"

I heard a sigh. "Order the ninjas to get ready."

I nodded, and ran back outside. I was now Gaara's second-hand ninja. ...Well, Baki was still pretty high up. But, he put a lot of trust in me. This wasn't the first time since Natalie's death for the Hidden Rain Village to attack, either.

Meanwhile, Naomi prepared herself for the coming attack; I watched as she tied her headband very tight, being careful to keep her face hidden.

She stood in an open area, most likely to be able to see the intruders. Even before the other ninjas were ready, the Rain Village ninjas were up on the rocks. Naomi made a few hand signs.

About half of the Rain ninjas dropped dead.

I rushed to get the other ninjas.

...But I stopped in my tracks when the Sand ninjas came rushing out. Maybe someone else had seen them. Naomi made a few more hand signs for another jutsu, and transformed into a little kid. She no longer wore a black cloak; she looked like a normal kid in the village.

Naomi quickly grabbed a kunai from her pouch, and rushed towards what seemed to be the leader. Meanwhile, in the background, the Sand ninja were fighting the Rain ninja.

"You won't get away with this!" Naomi cried in a little kid's voice as she rushed toward the leader.

"Oh look, a kid. I'm so scared," the leader said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Try me," the kid Naomi said, and got into a battle stance.

He threw five shurikan at her, but she easily dodged. She used a smoke bomb to mask her movement. She "reappeared" right behind him, and held a kunai to his throat. "I win, your dead," she whispered in his ear.

_But she's just a kid. Are they really training this young as ninja? _he thought.

I smiled. That was actually a really good idea, pretending to be a kid like that.

Naomi smiled as her kunai broke through the skin; not deep, but enough to draw blood. "Don't underestimate your opponent," she said with a smirk. With a poof, she transformed back into her real self. And with that, she made the final cut.

By this time, the other ninjas were already retreating. Naomi thought her deed went unnoticed, but she was wrong. I saw the whole thing, and went to tell Gaara.

* * *

I rushed into Gaara's office, to notify Naruto's reply to his note. I didn't notice Naomi's presence. "Gaara, Naruto has replied from your note!"

I turned to see Naomi, standing at the door. "I think I'll be going now," she said, and began to leave.

"Wait," Gaara said from behind. She stopped, not turning to face us. "Sam, do you have the note with you?"

"Yeah, here." I handed Gaara the note. He opened it, and began to read.

"Naruto…. He's coming for a visit."

"Great!" I smiled. I turned to Naomi, whose fists had tightened. "I'm sure you'll like him, he's really nice," I assured her. "That is, if you stay long enough."

"I've heard of him," she said quietly. Even _I_ could tell she was tense. "I'll be leaving now." Without waiting for an answer, she walked out the door.

I frowned. "Why was she here anyway?" I asked, annoyed that Gaara hadn't told me about it.

"I was giving her my thanks for saving the village. The Rain Village ninja probably won't be coming back."

"Oh, that," I replied, rolling my eyes. "What did you get out of her?"

"I learned that she is uncomfortable around me and that she wants nothing in return for helping the village. I'm sure you noticed she was tense at the sound of Naruto's name, as well." He looked toward the ceiling. "Naomi is definitely a mystery."

"I still don't trust her."

He looked at me. "If you wan to spy on her, you have my permission," he said. "I'm actually curious about her myself."

"You read my mind," I grinned. "I begin tonight."

* * *

I hid right near Naomi's window, so I was able to peek when needed, and hear everything. I heard her step into the room and heave a sigh. I heard a creak as she sat on her bed.

When I hadn't heard anything for five minutes, I peeked into the window. She was staring at the ground, her eyes sad. She sat up and pulled something from her cloak pocket.

It was a piece of paper, with a note on it. She read it over and over again.

I gasped when I realized what it said. She turned, and I ducked.

_Who _is _this girl?

* * *

_

Three days later….

Naruto, along with Sakura and Kakashi, arrived at the village gates. Gaara and I were there to greet them. "So," I asked, "what makes you visit? Don't you have any missions?"

"Nah," he replied. "Things have been quiet lately."

"How are you guys doing?" Sakura asked.

"We're great! You must be hungry, though. How about we go have lunch?"

"Sure!" Sakura replied.

Naruto's stomach grumbled in response. "Well, I guess that's our answer!" he grinned.

We went to my favorite restaurant, where Naomi was yet again seated at the far side of the room.

"Hey, who's that?" Naruto asked as we got in.

"Naomi," I replied coldly. "I personally don't trust her."

"Don't judge if you don't know someone," Kakashi said, speaking for the first time.

We sat at our table, and Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto looked at the menu. "Hey, aren't you gonna look at the menu?" Naruto asked.

"We already know what we want; we come here often."

Naruto grinned. "So you're a couple now, huh?"

Sakura hit him hard on the back of the head. "Don't ask questions like that!"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry…."

_Maybe you and Natalie would be a couple too,_ I thought sadly.

"Huh? What's wrong; are you okay?" Naruto asked me.

"I'm fine, just thinking of Natalie…."

"Oh…."

For a while, no one said anything. Although they never really knew her, they thought of her as a best friend. I guess that was nice of them, since they really had basically just met her. I appreciated that there was at least a few who remembered her in this world.

I clenched my fist as I recalled the day we found her. The day we realized we were too late, and the day I found out I was a jinchuriki.

I glanced to Naomi, to see what she would do. I saw her clench her fists very tight. Her black-painted nails dug into her palm, actually drawing blood. She put money on her table, and walked out of the restaurant. She left her bowl of ramen half uneaten.

Naruto looked up. He stood and looked at Naomi. "Hey, lady!" he called. She stopped at the door. "Where are you going? You haven't even finished your ramen!"

"Have it if you want. I am leaving." She turned to face me. "And I wouldn't try to spy on me tonight. I won't be there."

She discovered me… how embarrassing! And in front of Gaara, too! I just wanted to… disappear; yeah, disappear!

"Are you going back to your village?" Gaara asked.

"No. I won't be staying any longer here, either. I've been here too long already."

She walked out the door. "Cool! Free ramen!" Naruto said excitedly.

Sakura hit him on the back of the head again. "Naomi ate out of that bowl!"

"What? It's still good ramen!"

As they argued, I began to ponder. Then I realized something.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"There's one last suspicion I have about Naomi…," I replied, and got up. I walked quickly to the door.

Up ahead, I could see Naomi at the village gates. "Naomi!" I called.

She turned. When she saw it was me, she turned away and began to walk out of the village. I ran up to her with my ninja skills and grabbed her arm.

With a quick jerk, I pulled up her sleeve to reveal a scar. "What's this from?" I asked.

"It's an old battle scar," she replied coldly.

"Show me your face," I ordered her.

"That is a personal matter, I'd rather not."

Behind me, Naruto was running at me to see what was going on. Sakura ran after him, and Kakashi and Gaara walked at a steady pace behind.

Her lips formed a small half-smile, the first time she smiled at me since we met. "You are obviously set on seeing my face. If you really must pry, I'll show you."

She grabbed the edge of her hood lightly, and began to pull it back. It all seemed to go in slow motion. I could hear Naruto and the others behind me come to an abrupt halt as they saw her true face.

I gasped. "So it _is_ her," Kakashi said.

Naruto, Gaara and Sakura just stood staring in awe.

"Natalie," I whispered. And it was indeed Natalie. She looked almost exactly the same as before, only her hair was longer.

She pulled her hair from her cloak to let it out. "It's actually ironic, that you don't trust your best friend."

"How…. How did you survive?" I asked.

"You're alive!" Naruto cried.

"How did you come back to life?" I asked.

"The answer is simple: I was never dead."

"But I… I saw you…. You had a funeral!"

She grinned, and i could tell she was about to burst into laughter. "How about this? Tonight, I'll tell you the whole story."

I nodded slowly, my mouth still wide open.

* * *

Okay, that was a quick chapter... I LIIIIIIVE! :D ok, i know that the whole coming back to life thing is WAY overdone, but, technically, i DIDNT come back to life if i wasnt dead. right? ...its still a stupid plot thing on my part, though. -.- it was my first idea, though, and im not changing it. it really does get better, though! it does, it DOES! some of it has already been written, and i SWEAR its a lot better as it goes along. and the akatsuki get more involved too! :D so, ONWARD, MY FRIENDS! and PLZ REVIEW!


	6. Part 3 Chapter 5

Part 3: past events

"Welcome to our hideout, hm," Deidara said. I didn't answer; I simply couldn't move. I felt paralyzed, and I thought for sure it was a dream. He chuckled, and brought me in.

"Good, you're finally here," Hidan said.

"Who's this?" Kisame asked.

"The two-tailed jinchuriki," Deidara replied.

"Who's after her so far?" Pein asked Zetsu.

"**Naruto Uzumaki, the nine-tailed jinchuriki; Sakura, the one who helped kill Sasori; Gaara, the former one-tailed jinchuriki; and Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja,**" he answered.

"And one unidentified girl," Itachi added.

"The one that punched you?" Kisame taunted.

Itachi didn't answer. _She must be considerably skilled, _their leader thought. "We need to get going; it will take three days and three nights."

"Won't it take longer without Orochimaru _or_ Sasori?" Deidara asked.

"I have chakra too!" Tobi protested.

"All the more reason to get started," Pein replied.

I groaned, finally regaining enough strength to move. I sat up with my hand on my head, leaning on my other hand. I had a horrible headache. I took in my surroundings, only to find I was in an Akatsuki hideout, with all of its members looking at me. "Damn… am I already at this stage? How long was I out?" I asked myself.

"I thought that you had knocked her out," one said. I couldn't remember his name, my head hurt too much to think.

"I thought so too," Deidara replied. "Well, all we can do is knock her out again, huh?" He jumped down from his bird, which disappeared straight after. A small detonating clay bug crawled on my arm and exploded, giving me a deep gash. The pain was nearly unbearable. I fell back to the ground, clutching my arm.

"That's gonna leave a mark," I gasped. _Darn it_…._ At this rate I'm gonna be dead_!_I can't let that happen_…. _Not only that, but I'm really bleeding. If I do survive, I'll at least have a scar. _I looked up at Deidara, only to see a fist. I fell to the ground, eyes closed. I had to have them believe I was out. I loosened m grip on my arm, as though unconscious. I did my best to relax.

"All right, let's get started."

When they weren't looking, I quickly made a clone as quietly as possible. I dashed out of the hideout. I knew shadow clones weren't supposed to last long, so I had to keep giving my chakra into it. On top of that, if that wasn't me, how would they get Nekomata?

_Of course, _I realized. My mind flashed to a future episode I saw in the real world; one of Naruto's clones "went Kyuubi." _My clone has Nekomata, just like me._

So I watched as my clone got the life basically sucked out of her by the Nine Phantom Dragons jutsu. All I really _could_ do was wait, and hope I had enough energy to run once the Nine Phantom Dragons jutsu was over.

* * *

Three days and three nights later….

"It isn't done…. We need to hurry."

"Yes."

"They're getting closer," Zetsu warned.

"It's almost done."

I heaved a sigh in relief. I was still conscious, and my clone was still intact, although it was getting more difficult. At least the jutsu was almost done.

Sam and the others were almost here….

* * *

"Have they really delayed us long enough that they haven't put on the forbidden seal?" Sam asked worriedly.

I sighed. So they were here.

"Let's hope not," Kakashi answered. "Sakura?"

"Already on it. Stand back."

I heard a crash. I knew Sakura had broken her way into the hideout. I peeked inside. Naruto, Sakura, Gaara, Sam, and Kakashi rushed in.

My clone lay on the ground, Deidara standing next to it. "Hmm…. Zetsu was right on the money," Deidara remarked. "You guys really were close."

"It's weird," Naruto said. "I barely knew her… but I feel as though I've known her my whole life."

I blinked. This would scar them emotionally for years, if not for life. _Should I go_ _out? _I thought. _No, it's too risky right now._

Sakura put her hand on Sam's shoulder as though to comfort her, but she pulled away. Sam began to cry. Tears began to well up in my eyes as I saw my best friend's tears… for _me_.

"You monster!" Naruto yelled. "You do this to a girl who just wanted to find her way home!"

_Sam must have told them,_ I thought.

"What do you mean by that?" Deidara asked.

"Don't," Kakashi warned. "He might get precious information, which will just make the Akatsuki stronger."

_He's right._

Naruto scowled. Sam looked at my clone, whom she thought to be me. I could see she was no longer just sad. I could see rage burning in her eyes.

A fierce snarl ripped through Sam's throat. "You…."

"Sam…?" Sakura asked as she backed away towards the others.

"You!" Her streaked hair was suddenly bleached white, and it blew around in a whirlwind. Water appeared at her feet, creating a circle. Fire circled around her, and rocks began to tumble down.

My eyes grew wide.

"Well, I found the five-tailed jinchuriki!" Deidara said, surprised.

"You!" she shrieked.

I knew that if she was the five-tailed jinchuriki, she would soon create a huge earthquake. I had done research on the five-tailed beast back home, on the internet.

I reacted quickly. I summoned up all of my energy, and, although I was still giving chakra away to my clone, I was able to run away as fast as possible.

At first it was like an explosion. The shockwave made me shoot forward, only skimming the ground.

The world began to crack beneath me. _Uh oh_….

I jumped, and ran farther and farther away from the hideout.

As the ground shook beneath me, my chakra drained quickly from keeping the copy intact. I knew I had to let it poof away. They would think it was simply lost in the rocks... When the earthquake stopped, I did too. I thought I could relax, until an aftershock rolled through. I fell to the ground. "Ow."

I laid there for about 20 minutes, building up energy to move.

I eventually got to my feet, and walked slowly to what was left the hideout. I often stumbled, but perseverance kept me going. I needed to let Sam and the others know I was still alive. _Will they forgive me?_ I wondered.

By the time I got to the area of seemingly endless debris, all that was left was Deidara's corpse and rocks. _So Deidara is dead. Well, that much is good._ I looked far ahead, in the direction Sam and the others would have gone.

All I saw was five figures walking away. At least they all survived. I opened my mouth to call their names, but no sound came out.

I fell to my knees, exhausted.

I crawled to a small cubby to at least get comfortable while I rested. Then, I fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

I awoke to a nearly unbearable pain in my arm. My limbs felt heavy; they couldn't move. _I _couldn't move. Only my head and mouth could, but only slightly.

_Am I going to die here?_ I wondered. _I can't move, I haven't eaten for days, I'm running out of chakra, and there's no one here to help me. I come this far only to find that I'll die anyway._

I thought of Sam. I missed her. I thought of my family back home. I missed them. I missed Gaara and Sakura. "Naruto," I breathed.

Why was it that I missed him the most? Why did I yearn to see him at least once more before I died? Did I… _like _him? Did I have _feelings _for him? Jeez, what the hell happened?

Tears began to well up as I realized I would probably die here in this rubble. I would die in an unfamiliar world. My parents wouldn't know where I was, let alone that I was dead.

Black rimmed my sight now, and my eyes drooped. I couldn't stay conscious much longer. _At least the Akatsuki won't get Nekomata. Some of them will come here to see what became of Deidara, too._ I took one last look at my surroundings before the blackness overtook me.

I remember seeing a figure….

* * *

I heard a voice, an unfamiliar voice. "This kid's in really bad shape," I heard. I willed my eyes to open, but they wouldn't budge. Instead, I tried to sense my surroundings.

I felt comfortable, and I thought I could feel grass. My arm was still hurting a heck of a lot, though. My tongue was dry, but that didn't help much. I heard the crackle of a fire, and I smelled food. My stomach cramped in hunger at the thought.

I needed to eat. I tried opening my eyes again, to find success. At first, everything was blurry; I couldn't make anything out. Eventually, though, my eyes adjusted.

"Oh good, your awake," I heard. I looked at the source of the voice. It was a man. His hair was as silver as the moonlight, and was a lot older than me. A small necklace was worn around his neck; it was a flat circle gemstone of some sort tied to a smaller circular stone with two strings, almost as though it were clinging to it. I thought I saw a faded symbol on his left shoulder, but when I tried to look at it, he moved so I couldn't see. His hand was to my arm, apparently healing me.

"You can heal?" I managed.

"You gotta know these things if you live like me, kid." He smiled. "I'm Mamoru. What's your name?"

I thought about this a moment. _Should I give him my name? _I wondered. _No. He's a stranger. I don't know him._ I gave the first name that came to mind. "Naomi," I said. I tried to sit up. I went right back down.

"You aren't quite ready to move yet. Your wounds are a bit slow to heal." I looked at him. "You're actually lucky I came around. Those Akatsuki would come around soon enough to see what became of that Blondie." I smiled. "Here's some water. I suppose you haven't had anything to drink for a while."

He handed me a glass. I took a long sip of the refreshing liquid. "Thanks."

He smiled. "I'm glad you lived through that earthquake. Don't know what caused it, but it was really big."

"Yeah…."

"Well, just tell me when you're ready to eat," he said as he stopped the healing flow. I looked at his hand, and he smiled. "Comes in handy, doesn't it, even though it's only the basics."

"Medical Nin Jutsu always comes in handy," I replied.

"Well, the best remedy for you now is rest and nourishment."

"May I have some food?" I asked.

"Sure," he smiled, probably glad I had my appetite or something. He helped me to a sitting position, and handed me a piece of meat. "Take it easy at first," he warned.

I nodded as I took a small bite. It felt so warm and comforting as it reached my hollow stomach. It was like a hug to my insides... ish.

I ate the whole meal, something uncommon for me, and lay back down. "Better get some rest," Mamoru said.

With that, I drifted into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

"Natalie," Sam said as I walked up to her. She was looking at the ground. She looked up. "Natalie, why did you lie to me?" My eyes widened.

"Why did you make me think you were dead, Natalie?" Sakura asked.

"I thought we were too late," Kakashi added.

"I didn't think a friend would deceive," Gaara said.

"_Why,_ Natalie?" Naruto asked. I turned. "_Why did you hurt us?_!"

"Natalie!" Sam called.

They kept getting farther and farther away. "Wait!" I called, running towards them. They turned away from me.

"Good-bye, Natalie," I heard Naruto whisper as he looked back once more. Then he turned away too.

"_Don't go_!" I cried. "Please forgive me!"

I sat bolt upright. A pain shot in my side, and I went right back down.

"You're up early," Mamoru remarked, poking the fire with a stick.

"Bad dream."

"Ah, I see."

"I'm guessing you're just going to go now," I said. "After all, people like you don't need to worry about injured strangers." _What am I doing?_ I thought. _I basically just suggested for him to leave me here!_ I innerly facepalmed.

"You're right. People like me _don't _need to worry about injured strangers." He looked at me. "People like me don't _need_ to. I simply _want _to. You seem worthy of my help."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you."

* * *

Mamoru nursed me back to health, which went by surprisingly quick. Or rather, it seemed that way.

I realized, though, that I had no idea how to get back to the Leaf Village; or the Sand Village, for that matter. Not only that, but I needed training. I couldn't just walk aimlessly without coming across something.

I didn't know many jutsu; not even transformation, which is one of the jutsu needed to be learned in the academy. I hadn't even _gone_ to the academy. It had been pure dumb luck that I had survived all that had happened before.

I surely would have run out of luck by then, so I knew the chances of me surviving alone weren't very large. I came to the thought of asking Mamoru to train me….

"Mamoru?" I asked as he packed his belongings.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if…."

"I could train you?"

I was taken aback. "How did you…?"

He shrugged. "I just had a feeling, and the answer is yes."

"Really?" He nodded. "Oh, thank you Mamoru!"

"No need to thank me." He looked to the ground, almost looking… guilty. He rubbed his thumb over his necklace subconsciously. "Just think of it as a favor, with no dept to be paid."

I smiled. "You're certainly generous."

He looked up. "I guess you could say that…."

We traveled as I trained. We didn't travel to anywhere in particular, but we never stayed in one place long. I guess that was just how Mamoru lived. He didn't seem to have a home village. Even if he did, he never showed it.

My training wasn't exactly _fun,_ either. He was a tough taskmaster. I had to be serious about everything, and he rarely made jokes. I was just glad he had a soft side. I worked day and sometimes night, working my hardest to improve my skills. My aiming grew sharp; I learned basic jutsu. The only problem was that I was a "softie." I didn't want to get hurt, I shut my eyes when something was coming, and I couldn't hurt a fly. I didn't _want _to, anyway.

Days grew to weeks; weeks grew to months. I eventually learned to harden my heart, and was even able to harm an innocent bird once. **(A/N: Poor birdie.) **I was sad at first, but Mamoru drove me on.

I learned that in this world, in Mamoru's life, anyway, it wasn't necessary to worry about the sake of others. Mamoru had no friends to protect. Sometimes I even wondered whether he'd protect _me_.

He seemed to have hardened his heart long ago. His past was a mystery to me. I didn't know where he was from, or if he would ever go back. For all I knew, we could have already been there.

In one memorable training session, he wanted to learn what I could do. Well, he wanted to fight me, to see if I had improved at all. I, of course, didn't want to hurt him.

"Come at me," he said. "Go ahead."

"But…."

"But what?"

"I don't want to hurt my sensei."

He laughed. It was contagious, so I had to smile. "You think you can hurt me? Go ahead and try."

"I just really think it would be better if I practiced on—"

"On what?" he interrupted. "A log? A bird? Those things aren't real opponents. They won't fight back."

"Okay…."

"All right, what do I have to do to get you to attack me?" I shrugged. There was a pause, then he sneered. "I wonder what your _friends _would have done. I bet they'd be up and ready to attack." His sneer widened. "Or are they just as sissy as you?" I furrowed my brow. "In fact, I'm wondering…."

"What?" I asked harshly.

"I think they might just _hate _you for being gone so long. And on what, a journey? You never told me…."

"Shut up."

"Oh, are standing up for your so-called _friends,_ who haven't even come looking for you yet?" I hadn't told him they thought I was dead.

"Shut up! I know them, and they haven't forgotten about me!" _Have they_..._? _I wondered. I was completely oblivious to the fact that Mamoru was just trying to get me mad.

"Were you friends with that Blondie, too? Or was he just as low as your friends were?" he taunted.

"_Shut up_!" I yelled, and lashed out at him.

He simply took a side step, and I completely missed. "Are your friends that bad, or are you way below them?" I turned round to lash at him again. "You'll have to do better than that," he said after I missed again.

"Shut up!"

"Aw, is little Naomi getting mad?"

"Shut the hell up!" I screamed. I made my hand blaze with chakra, and pulled my fist back. The chakra wasn't a light blue, though; it was a darker, almost eviler blue. I thought nothing of this, and nearly punched him.

I missed by a millimeter, and ended up destroying the ground instead. "Dang it, Mamoru! Do _not _make jokes of my friends!"

"And why not? It's fun to make fun of…. What was his name?"

"Shut up already!"

After that, I just remember being really mad. Then, all went black.

* * *

When I woke up, I saw Mamoru sitting down, leaning against a broken tree. A small line of blood ran down from his mouth, and he was clutching his side. He gave a weak smile. "You _are _good," he said. He slowly got to his feet. "Nekomata, huh?"

"Is that what happened?" I asked worriedly.

"You mean to tell me that you don't remember a thing?"

I hung my head, and realized I was sitting. "I'll take that as a yes," I sighed.

"Well, now that I know that, I think I got you a jutsu that'll knock the enemy's socks off." He smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

I grinned. "Let's get to it!"

"Wait. We need to rest up a bit, don't you think?"

I then realized I was hurting all over, and, even at first glance, Mamoru wasn't in very good shape.

"Right," I agreed.

* * *

Mamoru kept his promise, and taught me that special new jutsu. Oh, and it was special indeed.

It could kill anything, except for immortals and completely healthy people. I never had a chance to encounter these obstacles during training. All of my "opponents" were usually trees or animals.

I didn't like doing that at first, but I eventually got used to it. I simply… hardened my heart.

I never thought I'd have to harden my heart against innocent things. I knew I had to hurt _enemies,_ but at first this was too much to bear. Yet again, Mamoru drove me on.

I sometimes wondered how Sam, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were getting along. I wondered who was training Sam.

That, however, was not subject to my training with Mamoru. That seemed to be all I had time for. No time for memories, or friends; we rarely stayed at a village long. Even when we stayed for over a day, Mamoru wouldn't allow any social interactions.

I, personally, was glad we never went to the Leaf or Sand Village. I thought I could give my friends a nice surprise: me being skilled.

It was hard for me to stand the thought that they thought I was dead. It was saddening. Sometimes, I nearly asked Mamoru to go to the Leaf or Sand next, to show them I wasn't dead.

I didn't even know if they would forgive me. But, they were my friends, right? They couldn't _not_ forgive me if they tried. They'd be overjoyed to see I was alive. I couldn't wait to see them again, although I'd get a nice scolding.

However, my training didn't seem even _near_ done, not even after around a year and a half. Around that time, we were heading to an area near a village. Notice how I say _near_, not _in_.

We were camping out, and that one night I can still vividly remember was a seemingly ordinary night.

Mamoru went into the village to get food. It was winter after all, and game was few. All he said he was going to get was a simple dinner; a small meal; a meal only large enough to keep us alive and satisfied for the night. We hadn't much money, after all.

It was dark already, and beginning to snow. I wore the dark cloak, for warmth.

I was sitting and waiting at camp, all alone. Maybe he trusted me enough now to leave me. Well, I was just sitting there when I heard a scream from the direction the village was in.

I instinctively pulled out my kunai immediately. I jumped to my feet, and rushed to the village gates. I didn't look in quite yet, I just hid behind the wall, listening to everything; the element of surprise was always useful.

I heard a fight. I heard battle cries. I heard screams of terror. Then I heard a scream – _the _scream – a scream of pain.

All was silent after that. I knew Mamoru was the one who had screamed. I rushed to the opening of the gate, to find an image I will never forget.

It was a bloody scene. Villagers were dead, even one child. _Who did this?_ I wondered.

In the center of my vision was Mamoru's near lifeless body. Surely he wasn't dead? No, he couldn't be.

I ran up to him. "Mamoru!" I called. I knew deep down that he would end up dead. I had no healing abilities, as he had. I knew his chakra was below that of the amount needed to heal himself.

I looked around at all of the villagers in the battle area. "Who did this?" I asked, quite loudly.

A bold villager came up to me. "I did," he said proudly.

I stared at him in disbelief. "Why are you proud to have killed someone as kind as Mamoru?" I asked in barely a whisper.

His expression went from proud to surprise. "Kind?" he asked. "He terrorized the village! He is a well-known man that this village has hated for a long time! How can he be kind?"

I was at my knees now, kneeling beside Mamoru. "No…," I murmured. "He wouldn't do that…."

"But he did!" the man insisted.

Tears began to leak from my eyes. A hand wiped them away. It somehow seemed gentle, even though it was rough and calloused. Mamoru looked up at me, his eyes so sad; it was hard to bear.

I felt numb, yet sad. Despite that, I glared a moment at the man who had mortally wounded him, and swiftly carried him to our camp.

When we got there, I sat him up against a tree. He said in barely a whisper, "I don't deserve your kindness."

I shook my head. "Don't speak, you need to rest."

"I'd die anyway." I stopped arguing after that statement. I knew these were his last words. "You have potential. I know that you'll do well in this world, although I know full well you're not native to it."

My eyes grew wide. "How do you—"

I stopped as he shrugged his shoulder just enough to let me see the shirt beneath. When I looked close, I found it was a faded and well-worn star. He was from the real world too. "I lived on an island," he whispered. "I lived on an island with my mother; my father had passed." He closed his eyes, and I thought I saw a tear come from his eye, only to be frozen on his cheek, rosy from the cold.

"One night, as I fell asleep in my room, I awoke in a new world, a world I didn't know. All I had left of my mother was this necklace." He looked into my eyes as he put his hand to the gem. "I didn't know anyone here, and with no family or friends to turn to, I became lost. I came to stealing for food. I eventually found a place where I supposedly 'fit in,' after a few years of living alone.

"I joined a group of 'bad guys,' which I'm still in today, and was ordered to find someone to train." He looked directly at me from the distant look his eyes had turned to, to see the memories. "That was you." By now tears were streaming from my eyes, crystallizing on my cheek so if I so much as moved my jaw, the thin layer of ice would crack. "Do me a favor, Naomi. Never stop looking for home, and don't make the same mistakes I made."

He coughed, and blood spluttered out, a fine line of blood running from his lip to his chin now. I gently laid him down on the grass, now sprinkled with powdery snow. "In the end, I'm finally found," he continued roughly, struggling with every word. "I was lost. I was lost, and I was found. You found me, Naomi."

His eyes began to get the glazed look of the dead. I had never felt so helpless in my life. I hated when this happened; a supposed "bad guy," who finally becomes good, only to die straight after. "Thank… you…."

Those were his last words. I sat vigil for him that night, and left the next morning.

* * *

Aw, poor Mamoru... well, from here on, it just gets better, i swear! **(S/N: i swear it does lawl) **. that would be sam (shes over at the moment). anyhoo, yay for the first character i made up! ^-^' yeah... REVIEW, dear friends! onward!


	7. Part 3 Chapter 6

I never took off the cloak. Maybe it was out of respect for Mamoru, maybe I simply forgot. I don't really know.

The next day, and afterwards, I seemed to be in a thick fog. I was deep in thought. I thought only of Mamoru and all that had happened the night before; I couldn't _not_ think about it.

For the next week, I was almost completely unaware of my surroundings. For all I knew, I could have walked straight through the Sound Village. I couldn't believe that the one I had trusted… just couldn't be trusted; and in the end he _was _good, after all. I wasn't even sure if I could trust _myself_ anymore, after being so helpless.

I was pondering over this very thought, a week after Mamoru's death, when a voice interrupted it. "Who are you?" I heard.

I looked up from the ground, from which I had been gazing at as I wandered aimlessly. I saw no one. I returned my gaze to its original position and continued to walk slowly, my black hood shrouding my face.

"You are in someone else's territory," the voice said.

I looked up again. This was real. I needed to get out of the "fog" that I had been in for the past week. Otherwise, I might end up dead. I temporarily lifted the fog; I would see clearly, at least for a moment.

"My name is not important," I answered calmly. "Who's territory, may I ask, am I on?"

A figure appeared in the shadows. "The Akatsuki's territory." He stepped out of the shadows to reveal none other than Zetsu.

I was surprised he made his presence known. Most often, he would simply alert the organization. Then, the danger of the situation struck me.

_Oh, just great, _I thought. _These are the people that nearly killed me! I can't let them figure out who I am. If they do, I _will _be dead._

"**We should take her with us.** Oh, why don't we… _play _with her a bit?" (Perverted people PLEASE do NOT make a comment there. -.-) "**We _need_ to take her in,**" he argued to himself. "**She seems mysterious, and our leader ordered us to.** Oh, right…."

I must admit it was strange hearing someone argue with themself. Personally, Zetsu had _always_ freaked me out.

"**So it's settled," **he concluded "**You're coming with us.**"

"It's quite interesting that you refer to yourself in plural, as you have two minds," I remarked.

Instead of answering, he grabbed my arm and began leading me to the Akatsuki's present hideout.

_At least he didn't eat me,_ I thought, trying to look on the bright side. _That would definitely be a bad way to die. But… if I even make one slip, I'll end up dead. Hmmm_…. _Just like last time._

So, I was lead to the Akatsuki hideout, hoping my death didn't loom near.

* * *

I was soon walking into the Akatsuki hideout. All of the Akatsuki were there, which was a rare sight to see.

I tried not to express any emotion, though it seemed hard when I saw none other than Deidara. I had thought for _sure_ he was dead. All I could do was curse him in my mind.

"Thank you, Zetsu," Pein said. "Now go and keep watch. There may be others with her."

Zetsu gave a nod, and walked back out. _I wonder what they'll do to me,_ I thought._ There's simply no telling their punishment for coming to their territory uninvited. My penalty could be as large as death._

I took a quick glance around the room. Hidan and Kakuzu were missing; they had probably already gone on the mission they were supposed to be killed in. "Tobi" was staring wildly throughout the room through his mask. Itachi and Kisame were standing together as though they were talking before. Deidara was simply "playing" with his clay. Okay, maybe he was actually using it, but whatever. I didn't see Konan anywhere; maybe they were waiting for her so they could start a meeting. And finally, Pein seemed to be waiting for me, probably knowing I was coming.

I didn't like the situation I was in at all. There I was, just me, and then all of the Akatsuki members nearby. I certainly couldn't run. I'd end up dead. I couldn't give them false information. I'd end up dead. The only thing I could lie about was my identity. If I didn't lie about that, I'd end up dead.

_Yeah, this isn't a really good situation, _I thought.

"Who're you, hm?" Deidara asked.

Inside, I sighed in relief that he didn't recognize me. "I am Naomi," I answered.

"Why'd you come here?" Kisame asked.

"It was purely accidental," I replied, "and my fault. I should have paid attention to where I was going."

Pein narrowed his eyes at me. "You were not here to search for us?" he asked suspiciously.

"Not at all. I wouldn't give your location away, either. I simply want nothing to do with you."

"We can't take any chances," he answered grimly.

_Oh, great,_ I thought. _I'm gonna die._ I felt something begin to crawl up my arm, the same arm that Deidara had scarred a year ago. "Blow that up on me, and you'll be sorry," I warned, looking at Deidara.

He grinned. "I like her," he said. Then, of course, he blew it up. I guess that's just his nature. I, however, jumped from the smoke, unaffected. "I told you you'd be sorry," I said.

His grin fell to a frown. "Darn it, I thought I had you, hm," he answered, sounding annoyed.

I made the signs for my death jutsu: the jutsu Mamoru had taught me. "I heard rumor you were dead," I remarked with a smirk.

He hadn't time to answer, though, as the jutsu began to take affect.

His eyes grew wide, and his face grew pale. The other Akatsuki members were wondering what the hell kind of jutsu I was using. Deidara struggled to breath, choking out every breath he made. He fell to his knees.

_This isn't working as it should, _I thought. _He's too healthy. I can't kill him. _His strength eventually drained enough that his arms collapsed, causing him to fall to the hard ground of the hideout.

_Darn it, _I thought. _I don't have enough chakra to kill him. What's worse, he's not dead from before as I thought._

I released my hands from their tiger position. Deidara was barely conscious, and he was taking deep breaths, now that he could breathe. So I couldn't kill him.

My eyes narrowed as "Tobi" began to panic. "Deidara-senpai!" he cried. Deidara's eyes narrowed in annoyance in reply. He couldn't speak yet, he was breathing too hard, but he was already sitting up.

Pein looked to me. "So much for coming in peace," he remarked, his eyes only slits.

"I was simply reacting to his attempted bombing. It was self-defense."

"If you contribute to the Akatsuki by teaching us the jutsu, we'll let you free," he offered somewhat emotionlessly.

I frowned. "It's a jutsu only I possess." I now realized that using that jutsu could have been a fatal mistake. The only reason I could do that jutsu was because Nekomata had the power of death, and if they found out I was a Jinchuriki host, I really _would_ end up dead. "At least," I added, "I don't think I could teach it properly. That, and want nothing to do with your organization; or anyone else's for that matter."

He looked at me a moment. Then, he said with a wave of his hand, "You may go now. You are no bother to us."

I turned away. I looked back, only to say, "Thank you." I knew they didn't deserve to be thanked, but they _had_ spared my life. And, even through all that had happened, I still had my manners.

And with that, I walked out of the hideout. _That was a close one, _I thought. _I really need to pay attention to my surroundings. I need to figure out what I'm going to do._

Around five minutes later, I heard footsteps, soft and stealthy, behind me. I kept walking for a minute or so, to make sure he was following me.

Then, I stopped; the footsteps stopped too. "Your presence is known," I said. "Would you be so kind as to show your face?"

"Of course," he answered, and stepped out of the shadows. I turned to see none other than Itachi Uchiha standing before me.

_Remember, _I thought. _He is actually good. I learned that back in the… back home. _

"Hello, Itachi," I said calmly. "I suppose you were sent to make sure I caused no trouble?"

"Yes, I was."

"Well, I suppose you have the right to escort me to your own border."

It was then I got an idea. _Surely this will help in the future, _I thought.

I jumped away with blinding speed, then supposedly reappeared behind him. "Don't worry, Itachi," I whispered in his ear. His face bore no expression. "I know you're the good guy." I saw his face show a bit of emotion: surprise. "Here's a little token for being such a good actor." I paused. Then, "Madara Uchiha is in the midst of your organization; in that very hideout." I knew he was probably wondering who it was, even without reading his mind. Of course, he knew he was connected with the Akatsuki; Madara was, after all, the real leader. I gave a mischievous grin. "It is he who masks his face, so others may not see," I whispered, implying it was Tobi without actually saying it was. Little did I know he would never believe Naomi. Yeah. Too bad...

And with that, I poofed away.

* * *

I stopped for camp, and only then did I fall into deep thought. I thought about what I would do next. I thought and I thought. I thought for hours that night.

I must admit I got so mad at Mamoru that night. I got mad in general.

I was mad at Mamoru, for lying to me for all that time. I got mad at the Akatsuki, for going after my friends and I, and for just being evil. I was even mad at that island for getting me into this mess in the first place.

But then I was sad; sad that Mamoru had to die right when he was good. I eventually came to a conclusion: I couldn't trust myself.

I never wanted to trust myself again, only to end up letting another comrade die before my eyes. I decided to try to forget the friends I left behind, and move on in life. I wouldn't give people the burden of having me as a friend, only to let them down. I thought it was for the better.

I would never show my face; I would always wear my dark cloak. I would be skilled, silent, and mysterious. I was no longer Natalie.

I was Naomi.

* * *

Half a year passed. On my way to nowhere in particular I ended up coming to the desert. I knew I would have to stay at the Sand Village. I couldn't go back in the direction I came; I had detected someone that wasn't exactly friendly. Maybe I would see my friends one more time before I completely moved on… as long as Naruto wasn't there.

That would just be too hard to bear. **(A/N: It rhymes! Ok, sorry. Moving on.)**

I eventually reached the Sand Village gates.

"What is your reason for coming?" a guard asked me.

"I come for a friendly visit; and for shelter," I answered.

"She wears a black cloak…," one of the guards murmured to the other.

"Yes," I replied, "but I have no red clouds. I wear no charcoal. I am in fact against the Akatsuki organization."

"Uh…. You can go in."

I took a steady pace into the village. All I had said was true. I hated the Akatsuki with all of my heart.

The first person I came across was none other than Sam. I swiftly avoided her, biting my tongue. She seemed confused after that action, but continued on her way to wherever she was going.

The first thing I needed was food; I hadn't eaten for days. I went to the first restaurant I could find. I ordered a simple bowl of ramen. As I was waiting for my meal, Sam and Gaara walked in.

I got my food just as they sat down, which happened to be at the table beside me. I immediately got up and said, "I think I'm done."

"What?" the waiter asked worriedly. "But you haven't even started your meal!"

"Fine. May I sit over there?" I asked, pointing to the far side of the room.

The waiter blinked. "Uh…. Sure, of course!"

I didn't mean to be rude to my friends, but I wanted to avoid contact at all costs. I didn't want to be tempted. I, of course, couldn't help listening to my former friends' conversation, as there was no one else in the restaurant.

"Well, she's very friendly," Sam remarked.

"Who is she, do you know?" Gaara asked. "She isn't from the village."

"She came in earlier. I've no clue who she is, but I don't think I trust her." I almost laughed.

"She obviously isn't fond of us."

"Yeah."

A waiter came up to their table. "Lord Kazekage! So glad to see you eating here again," he grinned.

"We'll have the usual," Sam said.

"Right! I'm on it!" As the waiter left, they began a conversation.

"Don't you ever get… homesick?" Gaara asked thoughtfully.

Sam looked to the ceiling. "Yeah… but I'd never go home without my friend." She shut my eyes tight and turned her head to the ground. "I won't just leave her here."

I was surprised that she gave up looking for home… for me. I remembered what Mamoru had said. I turned to them. "Wouldn't she want you to go on?" I asked. "For you to see your family again?"

She looked at me. "I won't take any chances. I'm fine here anyway," she said, and looked at Gaara. She smiled, and he gave a half-smile back.

So she _had_ moved on.

She looked back to me. "What's your name, anyway?" she asked.

At first I didn't answer. "That isn't important. Only if you truly wish to know will I tell."

She frowned. "I truly wish to know."

"I am Naomi." And with that, I turned back to my food.

* * *

I was standing on the ocean shore. I saw… myself? It was me, but without the cloak. It was me as Natalie, not Naomi.

I was writing a note. I ran up to myself, to see what I was writing. I peeked over my shoulder. The note read:

_Sam. I am still alive. I need help, desperately. Sam, please help me. I need you!_

I don't know why I was writing this; I had vowed never to have friends again.

I blinked, and I was no longer on the shore. It was a blank, white world. I saw myself, the old me, standing there. Sam was up ahead. I heard her call my old name; I winced at the sound. I saw her run towards me, but she just seemed to get farther and farther away.

Eventually she was completely gone. I instead watched flashes of past events: my clone lying supposedly dead, with Sam crying beside it; Mamoru's torn and broken body. By this time I was tense, _very_ tense.

Then Sam was there. "Just move on," I told her, now in my black cloak. "Forget your friend."

I supposed I was being too harsh on her at that. I didn't want her to completely forget me… did I?

She began to run away, and I could hear those harsh words echoing.

My eyes shot open. I sat up, and looked out of my rented room's window. The sun was just beginning to rise. I decided to watch it to calm my nerves, just as I used to. And wasn't this the same room I had stayed in two years ago as well? If it was, where did Sam sleep now? Did she room with Gaara? Did she have her own house?

I tried not to think about it. I instead tried to think about my dream as I headed to the village walls. I had thought the old me was dead and gone, but it wasn't. I couldn't just erase her.

I watched the bright palette of color spread across the desert, a beautiful sunrise. Then, I heard footsteps. Sam soon stood beside me. She gave me a smile, but I gave none in return. It would be even harder to be near her, now that I knew the old me was still there.

My now keen eyes saw something in the distance. _Just like last time, _I thought.

"Not again…," Sam moaned, realizing they were attackers from the Hidden Rain Village, and rushed off. I guessed that this had happened more than once while I was "away."

I immediately readied myself for the coming battle. I stood in an open area, to be able to see the intruders. I was prepared to use my death jutsu. They would, after all, be worn down from the desert travel.

Even before the other ninjas were ready, the Rain Village ninjas were up on the rocks. I made the required hand signs for the death jutsu. About half of the Rain ninjas dropped dead. Then, I made the signs for a transformation jutsu.

I had a plan.

I barely noticed the Sand ninja come rushing out. I transformed into a little kid, took a kunai from my pouch, then rushed at who seemed to be the leader. He, of course, didn't think of me as a threat.

"You won't get away with this!" I cried in a kid voice as I rushed toward the leader.

"Oh look, a kid. I'm so scared," the leader taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Try me," I said, and got into a battle stance.

He threw five shurikan at me, but I easily dodged. I used a smoke bomb to mask my movement. I supposedly reappeared right behind him, and held a kunai to his throat. "I win, your dead," I whispered in his ear.

_But she's just a kid. Are they really training this young as ninja? _he thought.

I couldn't help but smile as my kunai made a small cut through flesh; not deep, but enough to draw blood. "Don't underestimate your opponent," I said with a smirk. With a poof, I transformed back into my real self. And with that, I made the final cut.

By this time, the other ninjas were already retreating. I had thought my deed went unnoticed, but I was wrong.

* * *

I walked with a steady pace into Gaara's office. Gaara had requested to see me. Baki had come to my door, telling me exactly that. As I walked in, I could see Gaara examine me very closely.

_She's obviously uncomfortable around me,_ he observed after finding my fists were clenched.

"Did you want something?" I asked. My voice gave away how tense I was.

"The least I can do is say thank you for saving the village."

"I need nothing in return."

"I see…. What village are you from?" he asked out of pure curiosity. Also, he was Kazekage; he needed to know these things.

"That knowledge isn't necessary. I wander where I like; my origins are of no importance."

He opened his mouth to answer, but it was cut off by Sam, who burst through the door. Before acknowledging me, she said urgently, "Gaara, Naruto has replied from your note!"

She turned to see me, standing at the door. "I think I'll be going now," I said, and began to leave. This was getting harder to take.

"Wait," Gaara said from behind. I stopped, not turning to face them. "Sam, do you have the note with you?"

"Yeah, here." She handed Gaara the note. He opened it, and began to read.

"Naruto…. He's coming for a visit."

"Great!" Sam smiled. She turned to me. My fists had tightened at the sound of Naruto coming to the village. "I'm sure you'll like him, he's really nice," Sam assured me. "That is, if you stay long enough."

"I've heard of him," I replied quietly. "I'll be leaving now." Without waiting for an answer, I walked out the door.

* * *

I stepped into my temporary room, heaved a sigh, and sat on my bed. I couldn't help but be anxious so near my old friends. It was hard to bear, even.

I was stared at the ground, old memories swirling through my mind. After five minutes or so I sat up and pulled something from my cloak pocket: the first message in a bottle Naruto had sent me. I read it over and over again

I heard a gasp from the window. I looked, and saw nothing. I knew that it was Sam.

Instead of pointing her out, though, I just returned the note to my cloak and laid down to sleep.

Three days later, I was sitting at the far side of the same restaurant as before. I was half-way done with my ramen, when Sam, Gaara, and…. Team Kakashi was here already? Well, it had been three days. So Sam, Gaara, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi sat at the far table.

"Hey, who's that?" Naruto asked as they walked in.

"Naomi," Sam replied coldly. "I personally don't trust her."

"Don't judge if you don't know someone," Kakashi said.

_Has he seen through me? _I wondered briefly.

They sat at the table; all of them looked at the menu except for Sam and Gaara. "Hey, aren't you gonna look at the menu?" Naruto asked.

"We already know what we want; we come here often."

Naruto grinned. "So you're a couple now, huh?"

Sakura hit him hard on the back of the head. "Don't ask questions like that!"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry…." Sam's gaze shifted to the ground. "Huh? What's wrong, are you okay?" Naruto asked me.

"I'm fine, just thinking of Natalie…."

"Oh…."

For a while, no one said anything. Sam took a glance at me as I clenched my fists so tight the nails drew blood. I couldn't take this anymore; I needed to leave the village. I had stayed too long already. I put money on the table, and began to walk out of the restaurant, leaving my ramen half-uneaten.

"Hey, lady!" Naruto called. I stopped at the door. "Where are you going? You haven't even finished your ramen!"

"Have it if you want. I'm leaving." I turned to face Sam. "And I wouldn't try to spy on me tonight. I won't be there." I saw an embarrassed look come across her face, which almost made me smile.

"Are you going back to your village?" Gaara asked.

"No. I won't be staying any longer here, either. I've been here too long already."

I walked out the door. I was simply walking along, almost to the gates, when I heard someone call, "Naomi!" I turned to see Sam running up to me.

I turned back to the way I was going. I yet again say that I wanted to avoid contact. I was too close to telling her already.

Sam, however, kept running at me. When she reached me, she grabbed my arm and, with a simple jerk, pulled up my sleeve to reveal the scar Deidara had given me.

"What's this from?" she questioned.

"It's an old battle scar," I calmly replied.

"Show me your face," she ordered.

"That is a personal matter, I'd rather not."

Behind Sam, Naruto was running out to see what was going on. Sakura ran after him, and Kakashi and Gaara walked at a steady pace behind.

I smiled at her determination. I just couldn't help myself anymore. Sam was already suspicious, and Kakashi could have already known. They _wanted _me back, didn't they? "You are obviously set on seeing my face. If you really must pry, I'll show you."

I grabbed the edge of my hood lightly, and gently pulled it back. Naruto and the others came to an abrupt halt behind Sam as they saw me.

Sam gasped.

"So it _is_ her," Kakashi said. Huh, maybe he really _had_ already figured it out.

Naruto, Gaara and Sakura just stood staring in awe.

"Natalie," Sam whispered.

I pulled my hair from my cloak to let it out. Only then did I notice that none of them had aged at all, except for Sam. Maybe it was because they were in the spotlight of the show? I didn't know for sure. "It's actually ironic, that you don't trust your best friend," I said, still smiling. I wanted nothing more then to laugh until i cried right then, and to hug Sam's brains out.

"How…. How did you survive?" Sam asked.

"You're alive!" Naruto cried.

"How did you come back to life?" Sam asked.

"The answer is simple: I was never dead."

"But I… I saw you…. You had a funeral!"

I smiled. "How about this? Tonight, I'll tell you the whole story."

She nodded slowly, her mouth still wide open.

* * *

Deja vu, huh? -.- Yeah, sorry about that. Yep... Review, please! :D Click da button... Go on, i know you want to...


	8. Part 4 Chapter 7

Part 4: Unwanted Visitors

I told my story in as good detail as I could; no one interrupted me. When I finished, all was silent a moment.

"So you were alive the whole time?" Naruto asked.

"Deidara's still alive?" Sam asked in a surprised and worried tone.

"Mamoru…," Kakashi murmured as though he had heard the name but couldn't put his finger on where he had heard it.

"Wow, you went through a bit much," Sakura remarked.

"One at a time," I smiled. "First, yes, I was alive the whole time. As I said, I was never dead. Second, unfortunately, yes. Deidara is still alive." I paused. "I assume not much else has changed on your part?"

Naruto put his hands behind his head. "Nothin's changed at all." He grinned, put his hands on the table, and added, "Except for the fact that Gaara and Sam are together now."

Sakura hit him on the back of the head for the third time that day. "Will you stop it?"

I smiled. By doing so, I smiled wider, knowing I no longer had to restrain it.

Kakashi turned to us. "Now that that's settled, we should probably discuss getting home."

Naruto frowned. "I guess…."

"Would it be alright if Gaara and I escorted you back?" Sam asked. She looked to Gaara. "That is, if he wants to come along, and if he can."

"It's fine with me," Kakashi said.

"Sure," Sakura agreed.

"Of course!" Naruto said with enthusiasm.

"I'm sure I have enough time," Gaara said, "but I'll have to alert Baki."

"We'll leave at dawn tomorrow," Kakashi said. "We'll meet at the village gates."

"Right!" Sakura agreed.

I smiled, and we all got up from our seats to go our separate ways for the night.

* * *

Most of the trip was uneventful. It was the night of our second day's travel that was most significant.

I was lying at camp; all seemed quiet. I could only hear the breathing of my comrades and of myself, the sharp crackle of the fire, and the soft forest night sounds. And yet, I couldn't sleep.

I silently sat up, and got to my feet. I swiftly climbed a tree and sat on a seemingly perfect branch, with the full moon hanging in the clear sky in perfect view. I sat there quietly, thinking about all the things that had happened. I heard a rustle beside me, and turned to see Naruto.

He looked at me, and sat down. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, I just couldn't sleep."

He looked to the moon. "Me neither." He paused. "What a nice view."

"Yeah…. This is surely one of nature's beauties."

"Yeah…," he sighed. We sat silently watching the moon for around three minutes.

Naruto broke that silence. "Natalie?" he asked softly.

I turned to him. It was still odd hearing my name again, after the two years I had been known as Naomi. "Yeah?"

He looked at me, straight in the eye. "I won't ever let anything like that happen again. Believe it!" I turned my gaze to the ground far below us. "Wh… What's wrong?"

I looked back to him. "I hid myself from you for two years, letting you think I was dead." I took a short pause. "Thank you… for forgiving me."

"You don't need to be forgiven. You're my friend, and I'm just glad to have you back."

I smiled. "I know I've changed a lot, but the old me is still there. You guys are helping me come out again."

He smiled back. "I missed you," he whispered.

Our hands inched closer and closer together, until our fingertips touched. **(A/N: Meh.)**

"I missed you too," I answered softly. We stared deep into each other's eyes. His were crystal blue, with the moon gently reflecting off of them. **(A/N: …)**

It all came naturally. I leaned forward, and our lips touched. I pulled back. There was a glimmer in his eyes that wasn't there before; I was sure he felt the same way as I did. We leaned forward again, with more meaning, _purpose_.

I knew I was never supposed to meet him. I knew that he was from a different world. I knew that we didn't belong together. But… I didn't care. It seemed as though we were meant for each other. It seemed as though he was my other half, the missing piece to my life.

It was only a single moment. It didn't seem to last, yet it also seemed like a small eternity. …My first kiss.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're _doing_?" **(A/N: 'Tis over!)**

We immediately pulled back, and turned to see who had watched us. Naruto turned too hard, and ended up slipping off the branch and falling to the ground. He sat up and rubbed his head. "Ow…."

I looked at the person who had supposedly spied on us, who laughed at the sight of Naruto's fall.

"Sam!"

She waved her hand in an uncaring gesture. "Aw, don't worry," she said. "Gaara and I have done that a bit too while you were gone."

I looked behind her. "Um…. Sam?" I asked, pointing behind her. She turned to see Gaara standing there.

I looked closer. Was Gaara… blushing? I had never seen Gaara blush before. Sam, of course, was blushing too, in embarrassment.

Naruto grinned. "Why don't you prove it?"

Her cheeks grew a shade darker. "Um…. Prove it?"

"Yeah!"

I jumped from the branch to the ground. _I've got to see this,_ I thought. I blinked. The old me was coming back after all.

"Okay…." She walked up to Gaara, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"No," Naruto argued.

Sam turned to me. "You like _him_?" I smiled in response. "Fine!" she said. She turned to Gaara and gave a nice, long kiss to the lips. She pulled back. "Better?" **(A/N: Heh.)**

Naruto broke down into laughter. "I guess there are two couples in the group now, huh?"

Gaara's eyes were wide, and his cheeks were a deep red. I couldn't help but smile a little wider.

"What's all the noise about?" Sakura asked, just coming into our little area.

"Nothing," we all replied in perfect unison; except, of course, for Gaara, who still stood speechless.

She examined the scene a moment. "All right," she turned to Naruto, "for now." He just smiled in return, now standing. "Right….," she said.

We headed back to camp, and lay down for the night. I had the most peaceful sleep I had had in a long time.

"Bye Sam!" I called. "Bye Gaara!" Naruto and Sakura were beside me, waving good-bye.

"Bye guys!" she called back. Gaara just smiled.

It was late afternoon of the very day we got back. I don't know why they were leaving so soon. I guess they were just in a hurry to get home, since Gaara was the Kazekage.

Oh, it felt so good to be myself again. I had changed a bit, and never would be exactly the same, but I was still me. It was hard to watch Sam go, though, since I hadn't seen her for two years. And yet, I was happy at the same time. Things were back to normal, and I felt like I was home.

"I'm going to the library a bit to look something up," I told Naruto and Sakura. "Does anyone want to come along?"

"Sure," Sakura replied at once.

Naruto, however, hesitated. After all, reading wasn't exactly his _favorite_ thing to do. "…Fine. I'll come along."

So we walked off to the library. There was something I was curious about, but had never bothered to look it up in my time as Naomi.

* * *

I was so glad Natalie was home. Yet, this wasn't really home. But now… it felt like it _was_. We _had_ been here for two years.

Sometimes I wondered how our parents were getting along. The police would have already stopped sending search parties to look for us. People would always wonder where we were, though, no matter _how_ long we were gone.

But now that Natalie was back, we could continue our search for a way home. I had promised her two years ago, after all, that we would try to find a way.

Anyway, we had just left the Leaf Village. It was late afternoon, and overall a nice day. It was strange to hear all the forest birds chirping, when I was only used to hearing a desert bird's occasional call.

Since we had left so soon, we weren't in any real rush. We simply went in the right direction at a steady pace on the forest floor.

After about an hour of walking, we reached a brush right in front of a clearing ahead. It was then we heard voices.

To me, they were familiar voices. I remembered hearing them before. These voices were voices I could never forget, no matter how hard I tried.

We stopped, and by now Gaara was already crouched behind the bush. He pulled me down beside him, as he knew it was too late to leave the area unnoticed.

Three people walked into the clearing in front of us. I knew if we made any noise, we'd be killed. All I could do was give Gaara a worried glance, then look back to the three intruders: Kabuto, Sasuke, and Orochimaru.

Of course, with my luck, they stopped to rest right there in front of us. All we could do was wait; watch and wait. Maybe we could get information from their conversation, if there was one.

Orochimaru leaned against a large rock near the back of the clearing. Now I knew we couldn't so much as move, or we'd be seen. Luckily, the wind was blowing in our direction, so it would be harder to catch out scent. Sasuke sat on a small rock to the left of us, and Kabuto simply kneeled on the ground, rubbing his scalpel and such.

As he rubbed, he began to speak. "I hear one of your Sound Village subordinates was killed."

* * *

At the library, Naruto got a book on wind element jutsu, Sakura got a book with a title I couldn't read quite yet (I still hadn't mastered Japanese), and I got a book of records to read.

We all sat at the same table. Sakura sat on to other side, to my left, and Naruto sat on my side, also to my left.

Each of us began to look through our books. I wanted to look something specific up.

_Here it is,_ I thought.

I read the section carefully. After a moment's reading, I found something surprising. "This can't be…," I murmured.

* * *

Orochimaru chuckled. "Did it really take you that long to find that out?" he asked. "He died half a year ago. I thought better of you."

"What subordinate?" Sasuke asked, barely seeming interested.

Orochimaru smirked. "Mamoru."

* * *

"What is it?" Naruto asked me.

Sakura looked up from her book. "I was looking up Mamoru…," I began.

"Oh?" Sakura asked. "Let's see."

I looked back to the records book. "It says that Mamoru was a subordinate of Orochimaru."

* * *

I gasped. Of course, I immediately regretted it. Gaara clamped his hand over my mouth, but I knew it was already too late.

Their short conversation came to an abrupt halt. All three of them were looking in our direction.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Looks like we've got visitors," he remarked.

Sasuke put his hand on his sword in preparation. Orochimaru smirked. "Come out, you two. We know you're here."

Gaara and I looked at each other. That was all we need to do to know what the other was thinking: we needed to cooperate.

* * *

"O… Orochimaru?" Sakura asked, her eyes wide.

I closed the book, turned my gaze to the ceiling, and shut my eyes. "That's what the records book says," I replied.

All was silent for a minute or two. _I can't believe I trusted one of _Orochimaru's _subordinates, _I thought. _I know he said he joined a group of "bad guys," but _Orochimaru_?_

I sighed and looked to the window. It was getting dark. "I think I'm going to bed," I said. They had helped me find a room earlier.

"Me, too," Sakura answered.

Naruto put his hands behind his head. "I'll stay up a bit longer. I think I'll get myself another round of Ichiraku."

Sakura sighed. "Just don't stuff yourself."

"I won't."

So, I headed off to bed.

* * *

We stood simultaneously. I tried to look confident, but I didn't know if my expression was cooperating. I was, after all, extremely scared.

It was just me and Gaara against Sasuke, who four people couldn't beat; Kabuto, who could drain opponent's chakra as well as heal; and Orochimaru, who was the Leaf Village's worst opponent, and had killed the Third Hokage.

In other words, _we were doomed_.

* * *

I stood deep in the woods, the canopy blocking out most of the light. _How did I get here? _I wondered. I thought a moment. _This must be a dream._

I began to walk on the path, my pace getting faster and faster. I was afraid. But… what was I afraid of?

Suddenly, I was gone. I could still see everything around me, but me, myself was gone. I was there, just not physically. I rushed ahead with speed I didn't have.

I soon slowed, and stopped above a clearing. Something was going on down there, but what? My vision seemed to zoom in, from right where I was.

There were five people…. Two of them were Sam and Gaara, and the other three were…_Kabuto, Sasuke, and Orochimaru_? What the hell was the Snake Squad doing here? **(A/N: Yes, I call them the Snake Squad. Hehe….)**

Without my consent, my eyesight kept zooming in. Orochimaru looked seemingly straight at me, and licked his lips. I shuddered. Then, so suddenly, he rushed out at me.

I sat bolt upright in bed. With all of my experience in dreams, I knew this meant something: Sam and Gaara were fighting those three outlaws, and they were in the Land of Fire.

* * *

I saw a short flash of surprise from Sasuke's eyes at seeing Gaara. It was gone as soon as it was there, though. "So then, is this who you were looking for?" Kabuto asked Orochimaru.

By then, his chilling smirk was gone. "No," he answered.

"We came out here to find someone?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, but this isn't the one."

"If that's all we came out for, why did you bring me?" Sasuke was obviously getting annoyed.

"So that you can train along the way. That _is_ what you want, right Sasuke?" He scowled in reply, and got to his feet. Kabuto pocketed his tools, and got up as well.

"Who are you looking for?" I questioned.

Kabuto smirked. "None of your business."

Orochimaru licked his lips, and I suppressed the shudder rippling down my spine. "Oh, why don't we tell them?" he asked. "Besides, Sasuke might want to know."

My eyes narrowed. I took a glance at Gaara; he was staring at Sasuke, as he had been the whole time.

"Mamoru trained someone," Orochimaru continued, "and I'd like to see how well he trained her."

My eyes widened. _Natalie,_ I thought.

"All I know of her is that she's from the Leaf and she is considerably skilled," he said.

Only then did I notice it was getting dark. I also then remembered mine and Natalie's dreams. _Natalie, _I thought. _If you come, bring backup – a _lot_ of backup. We lost you once, there's no way we're losing you again. _I curled my hands into fists. _Besides, he has to get through _me.

* * *

The first place I ran was Ichiraku. "Naruto!" I called.

He turned in his seat. "Yeah, Natalie?" He saw my worried expression, and immediately realized whatever made me come was urgent. "What's wrong?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Sam and Gaara are in trouble!"

"How do you know?"

"I had a very vivid dream. You know how real my dreams can be."

He nodded. "So what do we do?"

"You get Kakashi to help, and to get backup. I'll get Sakura."

"Okay." We ran apart, going as fast as we could.

* * *

"They don't have anyone with them," Orochimaru said. "Let's play with them." He licked his lips. Again. Ew. Were his lips dry or something?

My eyes narrowed to slits. "Sasuke," Gaara said. I turned to him. "Your eyes are exactly the same as when I last saw you, filled with pain, hatred, and the need for revenge. But... you're searching for power in the wrong places." Orochimaru scowled. "I know you want to kill your brother, I understand that, but you don't need Orochimaru to do that."

Then, Oro smirked, and took a few steps back. "Oh, pardon me. This is Sasuke's fight." Kabuto did the same, backing into the shadows.

Sasuke looked to Gaara, and unsheathed his sword. "I'm not convinced."

* * *

I rushed into Sakura's house, and found her still awake. She was still dressed appropriately, which was a very good thing considering I didn't know whether Sam and Gaara were in serious danger yet. Nonetheless, we needed to take action, and quick.

"Natalie, what's wrong?" she asked me.

I paused a moment. "Let's just say you'll be able to see Sasuke again." She stared at me, her eyes wide.

"Yes. Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Sasuke are in the Land of Fire."

"We need to tell Kakashi sensei!" she exclaimed.

"I told Naruto to get him."

She gave a curt nod. "Let's go."

We met Kakashi and Naruto at the village gates. "So what's going on?" Kakashi asked.

"Orochimaru, along with Kabuto and Sasuke, are nearby in the Land of Fire. Sam and Gaara will either now or soon will be facing them."

"And you know this from a dream?" I nodded. He gave an understanding nod in reply. "Backup will come soon. Until then, lead the way."

We traveled for only fifteen minutes, when Kakashi slowed to a halt. "If your dream is correct, then it's best to be cautious."

I nodded. "Right." I looked around from our high point, on the branch of a tree. I recognized where we were from my dream. "We're getting closer."

* * *

Gaara closed his eyes a moment. He pulled the cork from his sand gourd, and opened them. By looking into them, I saw the sadness. He was sad for Sasuke, and the decisions he made.

I, however, _hated_ Sasuke.

"It pains me," Gaara said, "but if it's a fight you want," I saw the sand begin to rise, "then so be it."

The sand rushed toward him. I used it to mask my movement, and supposedly reappeared behind Sasuke.

I had thought I had surprised him, but he looked so calm. He suddenly and simply released chidori from all parts of his body, knocking me and Gaara's sand back. I must admit it was very painful. I at first couldn't get up.

Sasuke began lifting his word to strike, when Orochimaru spoke. "Wait," he said. "It seems we have more visitors."

* * *

We hid behind a tree; all we could hear was silence. Then, I heard the pop of the cork of Gaara's gourd. The fight was about to begin.

"It pains me," I heard Gaara say, "but if it's a fight you want," there was a short pause, "then so be it."

I heard the light chirping of birds a moment later. _Chidori,_ I thought. I heard a yelp of pain from Sam. I flinched at the sound.

"So what's the plan?" Naruto whispered.

"We could go around," I suggested softly. "Then we could catch them by surprise."

"No, Orochimaru is too good for that," Kakashi explained. "He would know we were there."

I nodded. "You're right."

"So I guess we just have to wait for backup," Sakura whispered.

"That would be the best way," Kakashi replied.

Our conversation immediately stopped when we heard Orochimaru say, "Wait. It seems we have more visitors.

We glanced at one another. _It looks like we _can't _wait for reinforcements, _I thought to myself.

We stood there a moment. "Come out," he said. "There's no use hiding."

We stepped into the clearing, beside Gaara. Sam was struggling to get to her feet. Gaara used his sand to help her up, and lead her to where we were. He then held onto her, to keep her on her feet.

She looked at me with a worried expression, and sighed. "I hate Sasuke."

The response was a glare from Sakura, Naruto, Gaara, and I. "I personally _like _Sasuke," I replied.

"You don't know him well, so don't you _dare_ speak ill of him!" Sakura said in an angry tone.

"You don't know him well either, anymore," Orochimaru said, coming out of the shadows.

"He's right," Kabuto agreed, also walking forward, the moon reflecting off of his glasses. Orochimaru looked me over and smirked. My eyes narrowed in reply. "Didn't he say she wore a dark cloak?" Kabuto asked.

Orochimaru nodded and licked his lips. **(A/N: Ok, I know I overdid the licking the lips thing. Yeah. ...Oops. Sorry.) **"Do you know of a man named Mamoru?" he asked me.

I scowled. "You should know him; he was one of _your _subordinates."

_She knows? _Gaara wondered.

"Naomi, huh?" Kabuto said, and adjusted his glasses.

I looked to Sam, who slowly shook her head. I looked back to Kabuto. "No, I'm not."

Oro's smirk widened to a grin. "Are you sure about that?" he asked, taking a step closer. My hand slowly went to the backpack I had brought, in case I needed it. He looked me over again. "I think he did a good job…."

Suddenly his neck stretched upwards, then headed for me. I knew what was supposed to happen next. His mouth was open, the fangs of a snake bared, his long tongue lolling out. **(A/N: *shudders*)**

I swiftly grabbed a large shurikan from the backpack. I held it out immediately, still folded so it looked like an oddly shaped dagger, right as he was reaching my neck. I could feel the folded shurikan pierce his skin, but I kept going.

_I severed his head._

Naruto gawked at Orochimaru's head as it landed with a thud on the ground, his serpent-like eyes still narrowed and the grin still on its face. His extended neck shrunk back to his body. "Is he…?" Naruto began.

"It's not over yet," Kakashi and I said at once. I turned to Sam. "Make no comment," I muttered.

Then, snakes rushed from Oro's neck, attached to the head, and swiftly reattached it to the body… backwards. He got to his feet, and turned his head around. Kabuto smirked.

I smiled; my plan was in effect. I turned to Sasuke, who was looking at Orochimaru at the time. "Sasuke," I said, and he turned. "Didn't you want to fight your brother?" I asked, gesturing to the trees beside us. "Here's a chance."

Everyone turned to the right. There stood Itachi Uchiha. "It's been awhile, little brother."

"What the-?" Naruto cried, his eyes flicking from on group to the other. "Where the hell did _he _come from?"

"Itachi?" Sakura whispered in appall.

"I see…," Kakashi murmured.

"Itachi," Sasuke growled, glaring at him as he spoke.

"So this is the infamous Itachi Uchiha," Kabuto remarked, and readjusted his glasses. **(A/N: I didn't know if he had seen him yet or not. *shrugs*)**

Orochimaru scowled. "Sasuke, you're not ready yet," he warned.

Sasuke raised his sword, the anger in him seeming to build up, his burning glare burning into Itachi. _Crap,_ I thought.

Orochimaru went to Sasuke and gripped his shoulder. "You're not ready yet," he repeated.

Sasuke hesitantly sheathed his sword. "I _will_ be back, Itachi," he growled, eyes still boring into him. "I _will_ destroy you."

Swirls of black engulfed the three, and they disappeared. Itachi smiled, and poofed back to what he really was: my clone.

"Wait, what? It was a… shadow clone?" Naruto asked, confused.

"I created while everyone was watching Orochimaru's revival," I replied. "I then transformed into Itachi, which I knew would make them leave." I let my shadow clone disappear altogether.

"But… we lost Sasuke," Sakura argued softly, gazing at the place he was just a moment ago.

I put my hands on Naruto and Sakura's shoulders. "I know you have been trying to get Sasuke back," I said. "I know all about him. Where _I _come from, though, I can look into_ your _future. I know what will happen. You wouldn't have gotten him back that time anyway. Keep trying to get him back, and things will go as they should."

"You looked ahead?" Sam asked.

I nodded. "And some things I learned I will never forget." _Like Itachi being good,_ I thought. Just then, around 20 shinobi burst into the clearing. I smiled. "Don't worry; they're gone now," I said.

Kakashi led them away, explaining as he went. Sam, Naruto, Sakura and Gaara followed. "C'mon, Natalie!" Sam called as she walked away.

I didn't go quite yet, though. Something lay sparkling in the grass where Orochimaru had stood. I stooped to pick it up; it was his Akatsuki ring. I didn't know why he would bring it with him, but that didn't matter. I picked it up, put it in my pocket, and ran after the others.

* * *

Yeah... Not one of my best chapters... Oh well. Next chapter... the Akatsuki comes into play! :D Thank you, Sitachi, for writing the first review! Youre awesome. :3 C'mon, peoples, follow her example, and click the button. Click it! The button is calling your name! Now, dear readers, ONWARD! Heh, i like that word.


	9. Part 5 Chapter 8

Part 5: Taken Captive

Sam and I were lying in the two beds in my room; she had decided to stay another night. She turned to me. "Natalie?" she asked.

"Yeah, Sam?"

"What _does _happen? I never got to look ahead."

I turned my gaze to the ceiling. _Should I tell her? _I thought. She didn't know that Itachi was really a good guy, or that Tobi was really Madara Uchiha. If I told her, she may end up telling Naruto or Gaara on accident. "I think it's best not to tell you now," I decided. "I'll tell you when we make it home."

"Home…," she murmured.

"We _both_ miss home a lot," I said, and turned to her, "but until then, we'll have a really good time! Think of it as a… extended vacation."

She smiled. "Yeah…."

And with that, we drifted into a fitful sleep.

* * *

I awoke in the middle of the Leaf Village, with many of the villagers looking at me in horror. They also looked at Sam, who lay nearby. "What… happened?" I asked.

Naruto and Gaara pushed through the crowd. Naruto ran up and hugged me, while Gaara did the same to Sam, who was just waking up. "You're okay!" Naruto cried in relief.

"What happened?" I repeated.

He pushed away, still gripping my shoulders, at looked straight into my eyes. "You don't remember?"

I shook my head. "What should I remember?"

"What did we forget?" Sam came in.

Naruto cocked his head to the side a moment. He then straightened it up and said, "Oh!" as though he had just figured something out.

Sakura burst through the crowd. "Here," she said, her eyes worried, "let me heal you."

I only then realized my body was aching all over. "Heal Sam first," I told her. It wasn't that bad, after all.

She looked both of us over, first Sam, then me, her face bearing a confused expression. "You're not that… hurt," she said.

"Of course you wouldn't remember!" Naruto realized.

I thought back to any dreams I might have had that would reveal what had happened. Nothing came to mind.

"_I_ never remember anything when I'm in the nine-tails' cloak!" Naruto continued.

"I was… Nekomata?" I asked worriedly.

A horrified expression grew on Sam's face. "And I was Houkou?"

Naruto, Sakura, and Gaara gave a slow nod in reply. I jumped to my feet and began to pace. I needed to think.

First, how did we become Jinchuriki in the first place?

The next to push through the crowd was Lady Tsunade. "There was no damage done!" she called. "It's over! There is nothing more to see!" The supposed audience began to break apart. She turned to us. "Come to my office."

* * *

By the time we got there, I had a general idea of what had happened.

Five chairs were situated at the front of Lady Tsunade's desk, most likely arranged by Shizune, who stood behind Tsunade's desk. Lady Tsunade sat in her chair behind the desk. Gaara sat in the front far left chair, then Sam, me, Naruto, and Sakura, in that order.

"Natalie," Tsunade said as she turned to me. She turned to Sam. "Samantha." We nodded to show we were listening. "Your tailed beasts are going out of control."

There was a pause. "I know," I said, "but I have a theory."

She nodded. "Go on."

"I believe you know where we are from?"

She nodded. "Sakura told me; continue."

"I seem to remember Deidara said in our fight that the Akatsuki extracted both the two-tails and the five-tails, but they later went missing. I believe those very beasts fled to the supposed 'warp.' When Sam and I passed through the 'warp' to get here, we melded with the beasts. Because of this, there was no seal to control them. But luckily, the beasts were unused to our bodies, after moving freely in the 'warp.' Over time, though, they grew used to our forms, and are easily able to take control. Therefore, when we left our guard down by sleeping, they were able to take full control and disturb the village."

Sam stared at me as though I had just figured out how to fly without using energy or something. She was probably wondering how the hell I had figured all of that out.

"I think that theory is reasonable," Sakura said.

Lady Tsunade nodded. "In fact, I think you're absolutely right."

_How old is this girl? _I heard Shizune wonder absently.

I turned to her. "I am now 14, going on 15, just like my friend Sam."

She blinked. "How did you…?"

"Where I'm from, in your show, we can hear other's thoughts. Because we are from that world, we can still hear them."

"May we go back to the room now, please?" Sam asked, being polite.

Tsunade nodded. "We'll be keeping a good eye on you, though."

* * *

I sat on the edge of my bed. I was thinking, and Sam seemed to be, too. I realized that Orochimaru wouldn't come back, fortunately. He had his "new body:" Sasuke. However, the Akatsuki would always go after Sam, Naruto, and I. And yet… they didn't even know I was alive. I looked at Sam. "What are you thinking about?" I asked.

"If the beast is so synchronized with my own body, wouldn't it be possible to communicate if you concentrated?" she answered.

"That's actually a really good idea."

I began to concentrate. I eventually seemed to appear in a dark, empty room of endless black darkness. Two glowing cat-like eyes hovered nearby. "Why do you search for me?" a voice asked.

I knew it was Nekomata speaking. "I want to talk," I answered calmly.

A moment of silence followed. "Well?" Nekomata asked.

"Is it in any way possible for you to not take over my body?" I saw a wide grin spread across the darkness, its fangs as sharp as daggers. I surprised myself when I remembered the Cheshire Cat, from _Alice in Wonderland_. I didn't know I'd remember the name.

"We are one," the beast replied. "I can't _not_."

"Then can you at least try not to hurt anyone?"

"I can't make any promises." I nodded. It was better than nothing.

I snapped back to reality when I heard the door open. I turned to see Naruto and Gaara in the doorway. "Ready for breakfast?" Naruto asked.

Sam and I nodded. "Sure!" I replied.

"I'm starved!" Sam added.

* * *

I sat on my bed, deep in thought. The day had gone by quickly, and it was mostly uneventful. I had met Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, and a few others. Sam and Gaara went back early, to "relax." Neither of them could sleep after all.

But then… the Shukaku was extracted from Gaara, so wouldn't he be able to sleep?

Anyway, Naruto and I spent some time to ourselves, me sharing him stories of the real world. When we got to my room, we found Sam and Gaara sitting on the bed, and they looked as though they were about to kiss. They simply, and awkwardly, got up. Naruto and Gaara left to either sleep or do something else, and the day ended.

As I thought, I leaned back in bed. Sam eventually did too. Then we made the biggest mistake of our lives.

We fell asleep.

* * *

I drifted into half-consciousness. My hands felt grass, and I could hear two voices. …But I believed it was a dream. I didn't open my eyes; I just listened.

"Well this is a coincidence," the first voice said. "It's certainly a lot easier when we don't have to look."

"Mm-hm!" the second voice replied. "But wasn't she dead?"

"I guess not," the first voice answered. "We're really pretty lucky, huh?"

"Mm-hm!" the second voice agreed. "Yay for us! I am such a good boy!"

"Shut up, hm," the first voice replied in annoyance. I then drifted back into deep slumber.

* * *

I awoke to a cold, hard ground and a horrible headache. My eyes opened slightly, my blurred vision only conjuring up a gray blotch in sight. My eyes drooped, and I was about to head into slumber yet again. That was when I realized something very important: I had fallen asleep.

My eyes immediately shot open, and I sat straight up. Headache forgotten, I took in all of my surroundings. I was in gray cell of sorts, with no way out but a barred and locked entrance along with a window too small to fit through.

Had I been kept prisoner by Lady Tsunade? Had I destroyed the village? Where _was_ I?

I got to my feet, and began to pace. I was trying to remember something, _anything _to figure out where I was and what was going on. After a minute of thinking, I remembered the two voices.

I facepalmed. _I'm so _stupid, I thought, annoyed with myself. All I could do was hope I wasn't where I thought I was. I went to the window, looking out of it to see the landscape outside. I didn't recognize it. _How long was I asleep? _I wondered.

I went to the barred entrance that completed the look of a jail cell. Where was Sam? My hands gripped two of the bars, and I stuck my head through to look both ways. No one was in the hall, but there was a cell beside me. "Sam?" I whispered.

I heard a low moan in reply. She was still unconscious.

I heard a noise down the short hall, and slipped my head back between the bars. I went to the far corner, and sat down to wait.

"We found them! We found them! Aren't you proud?" I heard from down the hall. It was one of the two voices from before.

"Will you be quiet, Tobi? Or you'll find _yourself _somewhere you would _not_ want to be!" the "second voice" I knew to be Deidara's said in an annoyed tone.

_Crap, _I thought to myself. I was exactly where I thought and feared I was.

"You found them very quick," another voice said that I recognized, but couldn't put my finger on the person speaking it.

The footsteps came closer, but stopped at what I presumed to be Sam's cell.

"This one's just waking up," Deidara said. "Hm," he added, something he often did, which was also known as "un." **(A/N: Hehe… un.)**

I heard a few more footsteps, and three people went right in front of my cell. Deidara and Tobi were the first to be seen, then the leader of the Akatsuki: Pain. _I knew I heard that voice _somewhere.

"Ooh!" Tobi cried excitedly. "This one's awake!"

"Isn't this Natalie?" Pain said, looking to Deidara. "I thought we extracted hers a few years ago."

"We never did find it after that, did we, hm?" Deidara asked.

"Nope!" Tobi answered.

My eyes narrowed. "That's because you never extracted it." Deidara and Tobi gave me a blank look, and Pain looked at me as though I would explain what I meant or something. I simply smiled.

"Wait a minute!" Tobi cried. "Aren't you that one lady from before?"

I sighed. I heard a muffled curse somewhere nearby: Sam's cell. Zetsu appeared at the back of the hall carrying food – most likely for Sam and me – but I paid no mind to him. "Are _you _the leader?" Sam asked. She had never seen him before, and was now probably staring at his many face piercings.

He folded his arms. "Yes."

"No wonder he keeps his face hidden so long in the show," she muttered. I put my hand to my forehead and sighed. He was going to _kill _her.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing; nothing at all."

His eyes narrowed. In the background Deidara took a step back. When Tobi didn't move, he pulled him back to the far side of the wall with him. I got up and walked to the bars; I wanted to see what was happening, not just hear it. "About the 'show,' what did you say?" he asked.

"Sh-show?" she stuttered. I could just picture her giving a weak smile. "Naruto… told me about it."

"How do you look so far ahead, then?" He obviously let the face insult slide for the moment; he wanted the information. I knew he'd eventually force it out of her, or at least try.

"Um…," was her only answer.

He sighed. "Hand me the keys." He held out his hand.

Tobi handed them to him. "What were _you _doing with they keys, hm?" Deidara asked, surprised that such a seemingly childish "kid" would be able to hold the keys to the cells of the prisoners.

I watched Pain as he unlocked the cell door and opened it. Sam began to run, but he grabbed the collar of her shirt and lifted her up so she couldn't. He stared into her eyes, waiting for an answer.

_This is a little harsh for him,_ I thought. _He doesn't usually force information out like this…. Does he? He's usually so calm._

And yet, he _was _calm. It didn't seem much effort to lift her – it almost seemed as though it was an everyday thing – and he wasn't _glaring _at her. He simply stared into her eyes, intimidating her. "Tell me," he said, almost as though he were speaking to a child who had done something wrong but didn't admit it. He didn't say it through clenched teeth.

While all of this was going on, Zetsu slid the food under my door. "Thanks," I muttered.

He didn't answer. He just walked to the other cell and ducked under Sam to slide her meal into the cell. Sam still kept silent, though she struggled to break free.

Zetsu got up, and one of his plant-like green spikes or whatever bumped into Sam. I might have done the same, if those things were attached to me. But wouldn't he have gotten used to them by now?

I shrugged that question off and looked to Sam and Pein. I nearly fell to the floor laughing, but I restrained it for the moment.

That single nudge from Zetsu pushed them closer together, causing them to _kiss_. **(A/N: Ok, I'm sorry, I just had to add that. XD) **Deidara was restraining laughter, while Tobi just went out and laughed his weird giggle thing. One side of Zetsu stifled a giggle, while the other stuttered a low "sorry" before he – or they – molded into the ground to disappear.

By then, they had pulled back from one another, both seeming as though they were in a daze of shock. Both were wide-eyed. Pein just set her down in her cell, shut the door, and locked it, all while still in that strange daze. He turned to Deidara and Tobi. "We will never speak of this again."

They nodded, Deidara suppressing a grin and a smart remark. I couldn't tell Tobi's expression because of the mask. With that, the three walked away to the turn in the hall just to the right of me.

When their footsteps had faded completely, I burst into laughter. "What was _that _Sam?" I asked between the laughs.

"It was Zetsu's fault!" she cried.

When my laughter came to a halt, I grew serious. "So what are we supposed to do to get out of here?"

"I have no idea," she replied. "Why didn't you just use your Death jutsu?"

"I vowed to myself never to use it again."

"Why?"

"It's an unfair advantage against my opponents."

"That's dumb," she muttered.

I sighed, and began picking at the food before me. "There's no doubt they'll extract our beasts," I continued. "But I think they'll have to do it one at a time."

"So what do we do if they take one of us out of the cell?"

I shook my head, although she couldn't see the movement. "All we _can_ do is stall."

"Stall?"

"Maybe, if we wait it out long enough, a rescue team will come for us."

"I _hope _so."

I closed my eyes. I knew that if a rescue team _did _come, the odds were one of us would be dead or at least severely injured. I didn't know which was worse: being the one to die, or being the one to suffer through my best friend's death.

We then heard footsteps walking down the hall to my right, which neither of us could see down. A figure eventually turned the corner to reveal Itachi. I immediately averted my gaze from his, I didn't want to look him in the eye.

"Natalie," he said in his soft voice. "You need to come with me."

_Oh, crap,_ I thought to myself. _I don't know whether they just want me away from Sam, or_…. I tried not to think of the other option.

He took out a key, slowly unlocked the door, and opened it. I didn't bother trying to run; I knew I wouldn't get far. He gripped my shoulders to keep me from running anyway, and to guide me in the direction he wanted me to go.

"Natalie!" Sam called from behind.

I looked back, and gave a smile that didn't show how I really felt at all. "I'll be fine," I assured her. I don't know if I said that more for her, or for myself. I had the familiar feeling of fear and anxiety gnawing at my insides.

Sam would probably be just as afraid; she didn't look very reassured by my statement. I didn't know myself whether or not I'd be okay. All I could do was hope.

I turned my gazed directly in front of me. I couldn't see Sam looking back any more, as we had rounded the nearby corner.

We eventually reached an open door, which we walked through to reveal a bare room not much comfier than the cell I was in. Pain was there, waiting for me.

Itachi walked out of the room, locking the door as he went. _What now? _I wondered.

"I have a deal for you," he said.

* * *

I sat in my cell, unwillingly thinking of all the things they could do to Natalie. I knew they wouldn't kill her right away – she was a Jinchuriki – but I couldn't help but imagine it.

They could fight her until she was out cold and almost completely out of chakra, then extract her beast. They could torture her until she gave information. They could experiment on her. They make her their pet. They could rip her guts out, tear off her limbs, and feed her remains to Zetsu. They could….

These unwanted _daymares _were endless. I kept thinking of one right after the other, some more rational than others.

I sat there for seven minutes, thinking of the horrors they could do to her.

_After_ seven minutes, though, I heard footsteps coming from the hall Natalie had gone down. _Am I next? _I worried. _Great, now I'm becoming a worry-wart. _I was eventually able to see Pain gripping Natalie's shoulders as they walked towards my cell, Itachi walking nearby. I sighed in relief when I saw her. _Thank goodness. _

Natalie and Pain stopped, and Itachi walked over to my cell. To my surprise, Itachi pulled out a key, unlocked it, and pulled it open.

I didn't bother running; I could never leave Natalie behind. Itachi gripped my shoulders, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. He led me to face Natalie.

Without hesitation, I hugged my friend. She didn't seem to hug back, though. I looked at her. "What's wrong?" I asked seriously, not caring that Pain and Itachi were listening to every word.

Her reply was closing her eyes, biting her lip, and shaking her head. She then seemed to compose herself. "You're free," she said softly, a light smile on her lips.

I cocked my head to the side. "Huh?"

"You can get out of here."

I then realized the enormity of the meaning of her words. "Wait, what about you?" I asked worriedly.

She closed her eyes a moment, then opened them and smiled. Her smile seemed forced, though, so I wasn't reassured. "This may be the time to go our separate ways, but you don't have to go alone. You have Gaara, and Naruto, and Sakura, even Sai."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "What will happen to _you_, though?" I asked.

"I… don't know," she replied seeming to gaze at something no one else could see. She turned her gaze to me, looking straight into my eyes with what seemed a fierce determination. "Sam," she said. "Don't look for me. Try to forget about me. Move on. _Please_." My eyes grew wider with every word. "I'm sorry to put you through my death once before, and now you'll have to lose me again—"

"There going to kill you! I knew it!" I interrupted. "I don't want you to die, for _real_! It was bad enough when it was fake!"

Natalie shook her head. "I don't think they'll kill me, especially if I'm _joining _them." I was about to answer, but she continued before I could. "Go back to Gaara and the others. Tell Naruto that I'm sorry. Don't look for me. Don't hunt down the Akatsuki, either. They've promised not to harm you or Naruto as long as you don't bother them. Just move on without me. Besides," - she smirked – "they couldn't kill me if they tried!"

"But—"

"It's okay," she said, and smiled. "I agreed to it. You remember back at home, when we both loved the Akatsuki." She grinned. "Now's my one and only chance to officially meet them all! It'll be fine. We just won't be able to see each other…." There was a long moment of silence as I stared at her in disbelief, and her smile faded slightly. "Go," she said softly. "I know you can make it without me. I'll never forget you. And… promise me you'll try to make it home."

I was speechless, and could only manage a small nod. In a shocked daze, I let Itachi lead me to the exit.

He let me out, and closed the door. Only then did I realize what had just happened. Natalie was gone. _Again._ What kind of friend was I, to let her go _twice_?

I walked slowly through the waist-high grass. I eventually reached a clearing, where I found none other than our rescue squad: Gaara, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi.

Everyone brightened up a bit when they saw me. Gaara was looking at me as though I were an award he never thought he'd get; Naruto ran up and hugged me.

I didn't hug back though. He pushed back, gripping my shoulders. "Where's Natalie?" he asked softly, knowing that someone might hear him if he were too loud.

"She says she's sorry," I replied almost absently.

"Wha…?"

"She's gone."

Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief. "But… it hasn't been three days yet!"

"She…. She said she chose to do this…."

He shook his head as though he couldn't believe it. Sakura came up from behind and put her hand on his shoulder. "Well then we need to get her back!" he decided.

"No," I said softly. "She told me not to come looking for her." Naruto gave me a confused look. "She said she'd be fine, and not to hunt down the Akatsuki. She said they wouldn't bother us if we didn't bother them."

Kakashi got to his feet and told us that we should probably get going. The trip to the Leaf seemed long, and was highly uneventful. Soon after, Gaara and I headed back to the Hidden Sand.

All that time, I didn't cry once. But once I was in my room in the Hidden Sand, I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

Yay, Akatsuki time! :D ...Too bad its sad. :/ Part 5 is personally one of my favorites, so i hope you like it! :D shall we continue, dear readers? review! or zetsu will eat YOUR remains! ...ok thats kinda gross never mind. just review, please! :D


	10. Part 5 Chapter 9

I lay in my temporary room, staring at the ceiling. I hated what I was doing. The deal was, "If you join our group, then we will never hurt your friends without your consent." Pain gave me only 5 minutes to think about it, and I had decided losing just me would be better than all of us being chased for a long time.

Now I regretted it.

I had basically just gone against all I had believed in. And yet, when I thought back, didn't Sam and I _like _the Akatsuki when we were back Home? _Yeah, we actually did, _I thought. _My favorite was… - _I facepalmed - _…Deidara, and Sam's was… Itachi._ But any signs of that had dissipated once we were actually _here_. Now they weren't just characters, they were _real_ people, _real_ threats. I heaved a sigh. _All I can do now is get to sleep. _I grinned.

Just because I had to do what the Akatsuki said didn't mean I couldn't give them a hard time.

* * *

I awoke with a start. My arms and legs were stiff and aching. I felt pressure on them, but I didn't think for what. I remembered where I was, and my eyes shot open. What met my eyes was Tobi only inches away. "Hey, you're awake!" he cried in delight. He was holding my arms down, and was kneeling on my legs.

I head-butted him. "Tobi, get off!" He tumbled to the floor.

"Ow…," he whimpered. "I'm gonna go tell Leader you're awake." He scrambled out of the room, leaving the door open a crack.

I crawled out of bed, then snuck out the door, just to see what was going on. I walked down the hall, and took a few turns, following the sound of all of the Akatsuki speaking at once. I finally peeked around another corner to find all of the members gathered. I almost laughed at the sight.

From what I could see, all of the Akatsuki had to get out of bed last night because I had gone Nekomata. I had never seen the Akatsuki so disorganized. Just about everyone's hair was completely messed up, none of them were in their uniforms, and most of them were arguing with each other.

Pain stepped up to the front of the room – which immediately silenced the group – and began speaking about who would train me. _Crap, _I thought. _I have to be _trained _by one of the _Akatsuki_? _He continued on to say that he had thought about this, and had decided Deidara would teach me. _Well _that's _just great, _I thought to myself.

"What?" Deidara asked upon hearing this. "I already have to deal with Tobi! I don't want to have to deal with training a _kid_!"

"I know you don't have much patience, Deidara, but I thought it would be best if _you _taught her," Pain answered. Deidara heaved a sigh and crossed his arms, showing defeat. He couldn't argue with the _leader_.

_Great, _I thought sarcastically. Deidara _is going to teach me. _I jumped as a hand went to my shoulder behind me. I wheeled around to see Itachi. "Oh, thank God," I sighed in relief. "I thought for sure you were Pain or someone." He didn't respond. "Ugh, I hate this," I muttered. He still didn't reply. "And how are _you _today?" I asked.

"I'm... good," he answered slowly, obviously confused.

"You know what? You're a good actor," I said. He blinked. "You know, pretending to be bad," I clarified.

"How…?"

"Eh, I know these things." I couldn't say the real reason I knew this, as although he was actually good, he was still on the "bad side," and could easily tell the leader. I didn't know why I wasn't being too careful with what I said; maybe it was because he was basically in the same boat as I was. A thought came to mind. "You know, people like us should stick together."

He was still surprised and confused when Pain walked up to us from the room most of the Akatsuki were gathered in. "Thank you, Itachi, for finding her," he said. "I need to talk to her about what happened last night."

* * *

Pain and I stood in a room to talk about me going Nekomata the night before. "I know you don't like this," he said, "but we made a deal. You can't go around attacking us in the middle of the night."

"It's not my fault," I answered.

"What do you mean by _that_?"

"I have to do what you say, and you told me to go to sleep." I paused. "This happens if I go to sleep; I don't have a seal to restrain my beast, unlike the others. Sam is the same."

He thought a moment. "Why don't you have a seal?"

I bit my lip. If I told him the actual reason, they would know about the real world. "I have to answer this, don't I?" I asked. He nodded, eyes slightly narrowed. I sighed; I _had _to tell him now, and I couldn't think up good enough lie. "Sam and I aren't… from here."

I went on to explain how we had come from the real world, and why we had no seal. I even accidentally added how we could read other's thoughts at times. When I finished, he thought about all I had said.

"That explains a lot," he said quietly. He looked up to me from the ground. "Now to fix that beast problem."

"What are you—" I was cut short as he rushed up and made the seal on my stomach. I dropped to my knees and had a fit of coughing. "Okay…," I said when the coughing had slowed. "That fixes that…."

He nodded. "The Akatsuki will be breaking up tomorrow morning at dawn. You will be going with Deidara and Tobi to one of their three hideouts."

I later asked Deidara what three hideouts there were, and which one we were going to. He sighed in annoyance at having to answer an obvious question, to him anyway. "There are three hideouts: hideout 1, hideout 2, and hideout 3."

_Oh, that's all? _I thought. That's _very creative._

"We'll be going to hideout 2."

With that settled, few things happened after that point of the day. I _did _get my Akatsuki cloak, but that was all. (That thing was like a wonder cloak, I swear!) The day soon ended, and I went to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, I awoke very early. Right before we set off, Itachi pulled me to the side and whispered, "Go three kilometers North of your hideout at midnight." Then, he walked back to Kisame and ran off with him to their own hideaway. Pain ended up pulling Deidara over, and talked to him a minute.

We eventually left, at around dawn. Right as we walked out of the base something notable happened. "Leader said you guys need to 'bond,'" Tobi said. "So I'll meet you there!" He teleported away, much to Deidara's annoyance.

Deidara sighed, knowing it was too late to get him back, and got out some clay to chew with his hand. When it was done, he molded it as a bird. He held up a hand sign, and the bird poofed to the size that we could both ride on. He got on. "Hop on, hm," he said half-heartedly.

I obeyed, and it took off. I liked the feeling of flight, but it only lightened my spirits the first few moments. My troubles couldn't simply be forgotten. Yes, I enjoyed the cool breeze, but it didn't blow away my worries and feelings. For about 5 minutes we just sat there, still and silent as though we were clay, too... the _un_moving kind.

_The leader said to be nice, _I heard him think.

_Oh boy, _I thought to myself sarcastically, _conversation_.

"So…," he began, lost for anything to say. "What's… your opinion on art?"

I heaved a sigh. Of _course _that would be his conversation starter. "I most often think of art as a painting, but there are many different ways of looking at art where I'm from." He looked to me. I sighed again. "I'm from the real world." He blinked in surprise. I gazed out to the scenery. "Where I'm from, art can be a painting, or a sculpture. Art can be a children's toy, or even music. Art can be a poem. Art can be a photograph, where I'm from. Art can be nature itself. But not once," I said, and turned to him, "have I known a man from my world who thought art was an explosion. Maybe the man who created the atom bomb, or—"

"Atom… bomb?" I then realized he probably had no idea what that was.

"It's a bomb a man created by splitting an atom in two, causing a huge explosion, about the size of your C0." He did the thing known as "un" in reply. "When he tested it and saw the explosion, though, he knew he had created the destruction of the world. Another who might have thought of art as an explosion could be terrorists."

"...Wouldn't _I_ be at terrorist, hm?"

I thought a moment, and realized he was absolutely right. In most movies and shows, we thought of good and evil, when really they were basically just the same as real world 'bad guys.' "Yeah, you would be." I thought a moment. I should probably be at least a_ little _nice, or I would have a hard time living with him. After all, I had to give him _some _credit for his work. I took a deep breath. "Of course, I respect your opinion on art. Art really _can _be a sudden flash… like a firework. I suppose an explosion _could _be art, depending on your opinion."

He blinked. "Hmm…. What is your world like?"

"My world was… is a bit more advanced. We have giant metal… birds called planes, and war tanks and grenades. We have… transportation that runs on gasoline. But there, there is no 'chakra' or jutsus. All we really have is technology."

I stopped, as I had heard a rustle in the trees below. I saw a glimpse of red; almost the color of blood.

"We're almost there," Deidara said, and we landed softly in the woods.

* * *

"There are only two rooms?" I asked as I walked in the door of the hideout in the middle of the woods.

Tobi nodded. "There are normally only two people here, hm," Deidara answered.

There was a pause. "There's no way I'm sleeping on the floor," Deidara and I said at once.

We looked at one another, then looked to Tobi. "Looks like your sleeping on the floor, Tobi," Deidara said.

"Yay, Tobi gets the floor!" he cried in delight. "Tobi hasn't had the floor yet!" He fell backwards onto the ground. "Ow. The floor hurts."

* * *

I laid awake until the moon was almost at its highest, and snuck outside. I ran three kilometers to the North, and by the time I got there, it was midnight. I was met by Itachi.

"You asked me to come?" I asked.

"First, how did you know?"

"I looked ahead," I replied simply. He just sort of looked at me a moment, waiting for me to explain. "I'm from the real world." He gave an understanding nod. "So why did you want me to come?" I asked.

"You said yourself people like us should stick together."

* * *

"Gaara, can I go to the Leaf Village?" I asked

"Why do you want to go?"

"I…. After what happened, I'd like to be with others who knew her well, at least for a little while."

He gave a slow, understanding nod. "How long will you be gone?"

"I really don't know, but I'll try to get back soon. I'm not saying I don't want to be with you, but you're busy as the Kazekage, and I want to be with Naruto for a bit in this time of grief for us."

He nodded again. "I understand."

So I went.

* * *

I met Itachi around once a week. He was like my foundation, because, after all he had done, he was actually still good. We most often didn't say much, sometimes we didn't talk at all, but just being around someone who I knew was going through about the same feelings I was reassured me. It almost… purified me. He gave me hope that I could pull through this. I knew that, if my will was strong enough, I would pull through and stay good.

Deidara did train me. I happened to be earth style, which worked out well. I was also fire style, and Itachi sometimes helped with that. But even if our nature types worked positively, both of our attitudes combined worked the opposite: negative. The first time he was supposed to train me, neither of us wanted to cooperate.

Tobi looked from one to the other, me to Deidara, back and forth. "Um, senpai?" he asked, scratching the back of his head. "Aren't you supposed to…" – he stopped scratching head and made a questioning gesture – "train?"

Deidara glared at him. "Shut up, Tobi, hm," he muttered angrily.

"Well then why don't you, um, train?"

Deidara heaved a sigh in annoyance. He stood, then gestured for me to follow. We went to the clearing in the back of the small hideout, where Tobi got to watch us stand far apart from one another, not knowing where to start.

Tobi sighed. "Are you two not getting along? Is that it?" he asked.

"No, you idiot!" Deidara retorted. "I just don't know where to start! This is my first time training someone, hm!"

Tobi walked up to Deidara. "Well Leader said…," he paused.

"What are you doing, hm?"

"…to _bond_!" Tobi shoved Deidara towards me. He stumbled, and I simply stood there, my brain having not processed what had just happened yet.

He stumbled into me, knocking us both to the ground. Maybe we were closer together than I thought. We stood, and glared at Tobi. "I'm going to _kill _you!" we said in unison. We looked at one another, then back to Tobi. "_We're _going to kill you!"

We later decided to try to forget about what had happened, and never mention it again. In training, Deidara and I had come up with a few theories. One was how I could control my beast, without losing control. The second theory was learning how to control my power of hearing other's thoughts.

We didn't stay in our hideout long, however. We could never stay in one place too long. We were going to "hideout 1" next. I told Itachi this, and he then told me I would have to wait a bit to see him again. He told me to go 2 kilometers east of that hideout in two weeks, and go every night until he came. He knew I was desperate to keep the secret meetings a routine.

So we went to the next hideout.

Of course, Tobi left us behind again to "bond," and I told Deidara more about my world, which actually seemed kind of interested in. I saw an occasional glimpse of red in the woods below, but I paid no mind to it. And so, we got to hideout 1.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were waiting for me at the Leaf Village gates; Gaara had probably sent a note that I was coming. We hung around the village, sometimes talkative, sometimes silent. I rented a room to stay in.

The day after I got there, Hinata came up to Naruto while we were wandering the village, not knowing what to do. She twiddled her fingers as she began to speak. "Na… Naruto," she stuttered. "I… I heard about… what happened." She took a short pause. "I… I'm very sorry... about that."

"Yeah…." Naruto replied in barely a whisper. "First Sasuke, and now Natalie. I am a horrible friend."

"N-no! You are a wonderful friend!" Hinata answered. "I… I know you are…."

We met a few others who said they were sorry for what had happened. Sai was having a hard time knowing what to say, but he did pretty well. …Well, not really, but you have to cut him some slack, having been trained to have no feelings. Sakura left our group eventually to visit Lady Tsunade.

A few days later, there was a girl in Ichiraku, sitting right beside us. Her dark brown hair was about the length of Sakura's, but hers was straighter and had bangs. Her theme was red. She wore a red pearl necklace around her neck, and a red shirt with the sleeves poofy and folded at the side leaving an almost diamond shape. The same went for her red pants. Her eyes were red too, and she had a red diamond shape on her forehead.

She seemed to hover around us that day, and the next. Throughout the week, even. One day, curiosity and suspicion got the best of me and I asked her, "Excuse me, but who are you?" I asked this as we were waiting for our ramen in IchiRaku one day. The stranger had already gotten hers.

"My name is Yasuko," she answered.

"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but… have you been following us?" Naruto looked up, trying to remember if he had seen her often, but he was sometimes bad at finding people who are following him.

"Somewhat. I was ordered by Lady Tsunade herself that I watch over you, as you are obviously unhappy. I am to brighten your spirits."

I held out my hand; she shook it. "Nice to meet you, Yasuko." I forced a smile. "My name's Samantha, but you can call me Sam."

Sakura walked over to us to find us shaking hands; she had gone to get groceries. "Oh, you've met Yasuko!" she said, smiling. She looked down to her groceries. "I'll be right back; I need to put these away." She rushed off.

* * *

I eventually met up with Itachi again. A few weeks passed, the days seemed to go by quickly. The biggest strange thing was, instead of my age slowing, it seemed to go a little bit faster. I eventually had to tie my hair back to keep it out of my eyes. I tried not to think about that, though. We were going to head to hideout 3 soon.

I alerted Itachi of this, and he said I only had to wait one extra week instead of three. I was glad of this, because being with him was very reassuring. We headed there; Tobi went ahead again. Deidara and I just talked on the way there. We talked about my training; we talked about my world; we talked about art.

On the way there, I only saw a single glimpse of red in the trees.

* * *

Fall came. Yasuko ultimately became our friend. She kept watch over me as she was told. As for the Sand Village, I nearly forgot about it. One morning, as I went to get my headband, I picked it up to put it on. I watched as it faded from the Sand Village symbol to the Leaf Village symbol.

My mouth dropped open. _Weird._

Later that day, we met Jiraiya in the street. I was walking along with Sakura, Naruto and Yasuko when he walked up to us. He insisted on treating us to lunch, especially after what happened.

As we sat to eat, the subject turned to Natalie. "So what happened to Natalie, exactly?" Jiraiya asked after he took a sip of his drink.

I thought back to a season before. "She told me to move on and that she chose to do this."

"Well, what did she actually say?"

"She said she agreed to it, and that she wanted to join their organization. It's just… I'd probably never see her again. She softly said 'go,' and that she knew I could make it without her. She said she'd never forget me, and made me promise to never stop looking for home. Then…I was led out of the hideout."

Jiraiya thought a moment, then a look of realization spread across his face. "Don't you see?" he said, and stood, leaning forward, hands on the table.

"No," Naruto and I answered.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"Natalie was forced to make a deal! She _didn't _want to do that!She _saved _your _life_!"

* * *

Deidara and I surprisingly got along, somewhat. That meaning we didn't try to kill each other. Maybe if he were a "good guy," I might have been his friend. But maybe I was getting _too_ comfortable around him.

In fact, one day when I had proved one of our "theories" to work, I found myself hugging him, him being very taken aback. I realized what I was doing a moment after. I stepped away and cleared my throat. "Let's forget about that, shall we?" I asked, and we continued with my training, after, of course, he gave me a quizzical look.

One night, when I was having a secret meeting with Itachi, he somehow knew that I was getting too comfortable. "Don't lose yourself," he said that night.

I looked up to him. "What?"

"You're getting too comfortable around them. You can't forget they're not on your side." He paused. "If you do, they might eventually become an influence, and you may lose your will to be good." He paused. "_Never_ trust an Akatsuki. Don't trust Deidara. You shouldn't even trust _me_."

After that meeting, I thought about what he said. Itachi was absolutely right. The only real reason I got along with them was I never saw their "bad side," when they hurt my friends.

The thing was, they seemed so nice when you got past that. They were really just like everyone else, just… bad. Yeah, I _needed _to somehow get out of this mess.

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, Yasuko and I were in a restaurant when we met Katsu. There was a man sitting alone off to the side, eating his dinner. He had waist-length almost blood-red hair, and he had a scar over his left eye; much like Kakashi. He had two dark nubs on his arms, one right above the other, on each arm.

When I looked closer at the nubs, he noticed and said, "Shurikan."

I looked at him to make eye contact. "What?"

"They're shurikan. Never took 'em out, and now they've healed there, just stuck."

"Oh…." I turned back to my food. The man didn't seem to be from the village; he didn't wear a Leaf headband anywhere I could see. Our little group began to talk.

"What's your world like?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, our world is a lot more advanced. We have transportation that runs on gasoline, which we call cars."

"And I suppose you have atom bombs and planes and grenades, too?" the man asked.

I turned in my seat to look at him. "How do you know that?" I asked. There was no star on his left shoulder, so I didn't think he was from the real world.

He turned to me. "I listened in on a conversation while I was wandering. There was a girl who came from a different world, and she said the world had those things."

My eyes were wide. "Who? Who said that?"

"A girl, she was up high on a huge white bird. I couldn't make out her features, but I think she had brown hair."

Naruto, Sakura, and I looked at one another. "Natalie," we said in unison.

The man got up and walked over to me. He held out his hand. "The name's Katsu."

"Nice to meet you," I said, stunned. "I'm Samantha, but you can call me Sam. This is Naruto, Sakura, and Yasuko."

"Nice meetin' you, but I have to go."

"Where?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Nowhere in particular," he said, and turned to me. "I just follow instinct, gained by experience. I'm glad if I helped you in any way." With that, he walked out.

That night I had a dream about Natalie. I was nowhere; all around me was black. I saw a point of light; red light. There was a dark silhouette against it. I ran towards the figure to find Natalie, holding out her hand as though to reach for me. The light was none other than a red cloud.

The cloud began to come forward, getting bigger and bigger. When it got to Natalie, she basically sunk into it. Soon there was only her hand left, still reaching.

Then her hand went limp.

"Natalie!" I cried as the cloud got farther and farther away.

I sat bolt upright in bed. I sighed; I was just glad we might have a chance of helping her, since we knew she was still alive. _She's still alive,_ I repeated to myself in my mind. _She's still alive.

* * *

_

I knew tonight wasn't a night I was to meet Itachi, but I just wanted to be alone. I also knew I couldn't run away. I had made a deal, but there had to be a way to get out. A loophole or something.

I thought at first that the clearing was empty, but a rustle in the trees proved I was wrong. A man stepped into the clearing. He had almost blood-red hair that ran down to his waist. There was a scar over his left eye, and he had two dark nubs, one right over the other, on each arm. **(A/N: I just repeated myself didn't I...?)**

As I tried to identify them, he simply said, "Shurikan."

_Those are shurikan? _I thought.

"Never took 'em out, and now they're stuck there."

I gave a nod in reply. "Who are you, and why are you here?" I questioned.

"The name's Katsu, and you're…."

"Natalie."

"Right, I remember now. I think I might have met your friends, in the Leaf."

I blinked in surprise. "How are they?" I asked.

"They're doin' good, but I heard from them that you don't want to be here." **(A/N: They didn't mention it... Oops.)**

I looked to the ground. "You're right. In fact, I was just trying to think on what I could do to get away."

"I can help."

I looked up. "What?"

"I can help you."

"But… you're a stranger. Why would you help someone you don't even know?"

"Well then let's learn a bit about each other." He sat down. "Sit down, and let's talk a bit." I hesitantly sat down beside him. "I know you're from the real world, so you can say whatever you want."

"How do you…?"

"I was in the forest when you were talkin' to that guy on the bird."

"…Oh. Well, I was forced to make a deal with the Akatsuki that I had to join and they wouldn't hurt my friends. Now I want to break that deal, because I really regret it. How about you?"

He thought a moment. "I've lived a pretty long life. I've been through many battles, and I have plenty of scars to show that."

"You must be glad to be alive," I commented.

"Are you kidding? I _want_ to die; just no one has the guts or strength to kill me. None of my friends had the guts to kill me, and none of my enemies have the strength. I would never _let_ anyone kill me; I at least want to die with honor."

I blinked in surprise. "Okay then…."

Then we made a plan.

* * *

I really don't have much to write here... REVIEW, PLEASE. pretty please with sugar on top and whipped cream and sprinkles with chocolate on the side? *does puppy dog face* pwease?

...enough of the begging. just continue on. be happy. :)

...but a review would still be really appreciated.


	11. Part 5 Chapter 10

Yes! Double update! Why? 'cause im happy! why am i happy? ...i dont know. anyways, enjoy! :D

* * *

"I feel like a horrible friend," I murmured. It was almost winter, nearing Natalie's birthday. Mine had already passed.

"Now do you understand how _we _feel about _Sasuke_?" Sakura asked. "Why we want to get him back?"

"Sasuke's different," I answered. "He actually _chose _to go to Orochimaru."

"That was only because of the Curse Mark, though," Naruto pointed out.

"And he had good reason," Sakura added. "Not only that, but didn't Natalie make the choice, to do that to save you?"

"Hmph, whatever," I muttered.

"Anyway," Sakura said, "we need to go on a mission. We haven't been on any missions since… you were captured, and Lady Tsunade wants us to get moving again."

"Isn't Kakashi on a mission somewhere, though?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, so Yasuko will be leading us."

I blinked. "But she's only our age," I said.

"We won't be doing anything big, so we'll be fine."

We got our mission, and it was simply to check out a small neighboring village near the Village Hidden in the Grass. The next day, we set out on our journey.

* * *

I told Itachi of Katsu one night, and of my plan to escape. I knew that escaping would bring a risk, but I would take my chances. We walked along in the forest, near the Hidden Grass Village, as we had our "meeting."

He stopped in a small village. When I asked why, he answered by saying that we had to pretend we were on the "bad side." There was a large chance the escape would fail, so this was kind of training, to see if I could pretend to be heartless. Fun.

So, I did my best.

* * *

We neared the village we were supposed to "check out." I was especially depressed today, because it was the Winter Solstice, Natalie's birthday. Yasuko, Sakura, Naruto, and I were just walking along the main road when, from the dark, a young boy ran into us in the opposite direction we were going. He reminded me of Yuukimaru.

He ran right into Yasuko, looked up, and hugged her. "Thank goodness someone's here!" he cried into Yasuko's shirt.

"What's wrong?" I asked, only just being able to see the burn marks on his left arm.

His turned his face towards me, which wasn't a pretty sight. His right eye was wide open, but the whole left side of his face was burnt. His eyes kept flitting from side to side, as though to watch out for someone, or some_thing_. "Y-you're from the Hidden Leaf!" he said in obvious relief.

"What's wrong?" I repeated. "Is everything okay?" I knew full well that, most likely, _nothing_ was okay for the little boy.

"Th-there was two people…. They destroyed the village… and... and big brother." He began to cry.

"What did these people look like?" Yasuko asked.

He sniffed. "They… wore black cloaks…." He stopped, choking on his words, and began to cry again.

"What if Natalie's here?" Naruto asked Yasuko, Sakura and I.

"I say we attack her; it seems the best way to go," Yasuko replied. We stared at her. "Don't stare at me like that. It's not like she's coming back. She made her decision."

I glared at her. "Who says _you_ know that she chose to go? From what _I_ know, she was _forced_."

"Now is not the time to argue about that," Sakura came in. "We need to continue the mission."

"What about the kid?" Naruto asked.

"We can take him," Yasuko answered.

"Not after what he just went through!" Sakura argued.

"Fine," Yasuko said. "Who will stay back here to watch the kid?" We all looked at her. She sighed. "Okay then, I'll see you soon enough." We rushed off without her.

It began to snow, perfect weather for the first day of winter. We rounded a corner, then stopped short. There was a wider area of the road up ahead, like a clearing. To the left of it was a large rock. That, however, wasn't what caught my eye.

Standing in the middle of the clearing were two people: Itachi and Natalie.

They were both wearing Akatsuki's cloaks, billowing in the cold, stinging wind. Fire swirled around them, Itachi's being red and Natalie's being blue. Then they were gone.

* * *

I saw my three friends round the corner just as I readied to leave. A tear fell from my eye as I saw their horrified faces upon seeing me, in my new "outfit," with Itachi Uchiha.

I looked longingly at the familiar faces until they were gone.

I awoke the next morning to a realization I hadn't figured out before. I sat up in bed. _Yesterday was my birthday; December 21__st__. _I put my hand to my forehead. _Oh, a _perfect _day for my friends to see me again.

* * *

_

When we got back from our mission there, Lady Tsunade called us in for a new mission. An Anbu Black Op had been attacked while searching for Orochimaru's hideout. Kakashi, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino had already gone, and now Naruto, Sakura, Sai and I, lead by Captain Yamato, would go and help them. They had encountered a Crystal Style user, a nature type that was believed to be only legend. So, we left on our new "adventure."

* * *

I could still laugh occasionally, like when Deidara blew Tobi up or Tobi did something funny, but that was rare for me. Deidara occasionally looked at me in a weird way that I didn't understand, especially when I laughed. Just because Deidara and I were getting along didn't mean we were friends in any way, though.

One day I sat in my room – I was taking a short break from training – and I took out the note that I had got in a bottle so long ago. I read it and reread it, thinking of Naruto, Sam, Sakura, Sai, and all of the other friends I had made. What surprised me was I didn't get the warm, excited feeling I used to get when I thought of Naruto. I was slowly drifting away…. I stopped short at the word "good-bye" when I heard a noise at the doorway of my small room. I stuffed the notes in my pocket and looked up to see Deidara, frowning.

"You're still thinking of those friends of yours?" he asked. "Hm."

I clenched my fists. "Of course I am; they're my _friends_."

"Why don't you just let go? It would be a whole lot easier."

My eyes narrowed. "You just don't get it, do you?" The anger built up inside of me, which was actually kind of uncommon now. "They were, and still are, my _friends_. They help me when I'm in need; they care for me; they think about me. The Akatsuki, however, seems to only care for itself. Yes, you sometimes mourn over your partners if they're lost in battle, but you don't _really_ care, do you?"

I paused, then just sighed when he only gave two blinks in reply. "We should probably continue my training now."

That night, I snuck out to see Katsu. Little did I know that someone still lay awake in the hideout when I left.

The next day, Deidara went out on "important business," and left me with Tobi. Katsu and I were just finishing our plans of my escape. So, I decided now was the perfect time to meet with him to finalize the plans.

"I'm going out, Tobi," I said.

"B-but then I'll be alone! Can I come?"

"I want to be alone right now." So I left. _You don't need to play that game with me,_ I thought dryly. _I _know _that you're Madara Uchiha._

Just the next day, Deidara asked if he could talk to me. I mumbled back, "sure," and listened what he had to say.

"Who is that?" he asked.

"Who?" I replied. I had no idea what he was talking about.

"I know you met with a man yesterday."

"Wha…?" _Katsu,_ I thought. "Oh, _him_. He's…."

"Don't lie, hm," he said, frowning.

"His name's Katsu," I sighed.

He blinked, taken aback at the name. In any other circumstance, I might have laughed, as "Katsu" was what Deidara said when he wanted his clay to detonate. "I know what you guys were planning. I watched every bit of yesterday's 'meeting.'"

"I thought you were on 'important business,'" I answered, eyes narrowed.

"I lied, hm. I saw you go out the night before, and decided to investigate."

I glared at him through my narrowed eyes. _You little_...

"Kill him."

"Wh-what?" I stuttered in shock.

"Kill him." I stared at him a moment. "You're part of the Akatsuki now, you can kill him on your own." My eyes widened.

Tobi walked in right about then. "H-hey! What's goin' on?"

I closed my eyes. "Nothing, Tobi. I'm… going to go out." I looked back only once, to glare at Deidara.

* * *

A shadow was cast over my eyes, a traditional anime expression, as I called Katsu into the clearing. "Katsu," I said coldly. "Now…," I pulled out a kunai, "is your chance to die." I looked straight into his eyes, the shadow now lifted.

I threw a kunai with my left arm, which simply got knocked away with one of _his _kunai. I reached with my right arm and a dark blue claw reached out to grab him; Nekomata's claw. It did grab him, him having been caught by surprise, and I threw him against a tree. The tree was knocked to the ground.

He looked at me, wiped a line of blood off of cheek, and smiled. "You've got guts; guts and strength. You're gonna go far, kid."

I made the hand signs for a phoenix flower jutsu, taught by Itachi, and fired the "phoenix flowers" upon him. He, however, jumped out of the way.

The whole battle was a blur, so I would never be able to put it into detail. Eventually, though, I made the blow that rendered him beaten. He couldn't move, and a thin line of blood ran down from his mouth. He leaned against a rock and relaxed.

I didn't dare cry, as Deidara may be watching the whole battle, or, even more likely, Zetsu. I held a kunai to his forehead, and glared into his eyes. I daresay I was a very good actor that day.

Katsu smiled, and chuckled weakly. "Thanks…," he murmured, and relaxed completely. His head fell limp.

Katsu was dead.

I just sort of looked at him for a few moments. I couldn't help but see the same image, only of Mamoru.

I put the kunai in my pouch, got up, and walked away to the hideout.

* * *

I sat in my room that night, looking at my village headband. I couldn't wear it anymore, unless I put a slash through it with my kunai.

As I looked, a slash appeared out of nowhere. It just appeared on my headband. I couldn't take it. I quickly put the headband away in my bedside drawer, and nearly slammed it shut. But I knew I couldn't slam it. Then Deidara and Tobi would hear, and I didn't want that. I knew that I was supposed to not care about what I had just done. But I _did_ care.

I had killed a man that was helping me to escape. He was a friend. I knew I had to kill innocent strangers, but hurting a friend? I _hated_ what I had just done. I couldn't blame myself, though. It wasn't my fault.

I _needed _to find a way to escape from this deal without the Akatsuki ending up killing my friends. I sat in my room that night; I was almost at the point of tears. First I had lost all of my family and friends that were still in the real world. Then I left all the friends I had here behind in becoming Naomi. Next, Mamoru was lost. I was then reunited with my friends, only to be separated again by this deal. Finally, there was Katsu.

I had killed a friend.

But… didn't he say he wanted to die? Even so, it was a horrible thing to do. I _didn't _want to be "evil." Evil was only a word, though. The Akatsuki were just about as evil as a terrorist in the real world. Nevertheless, I needed to break the deal.

It was pitch black, the middle of the night. I could barely see a thing. In the darkness, I realized something. _God._ God always helped when people were in need. I wasn't sure He could hear me here, but I tried anyway. I clasped my hands together.

"_Good Lord,_" I whispered almost silently. "_Help me. I'm not sure you can hear me from this world, but if you can, please listen. I know Jesus has suffered – He suffered because someone betrayed Him – but… what if _you _were the one betraying your friends? It's painful either way, unless you're coldhearted. All I ask is an idea, a clue to getting away from the cruel fate of becoming a 'bad guy.' Forgive me for all the sins I have made so far. I love you Lord. Thank you for all you have done for me before. Please take good care of my friends. In Jesus's name, Amen._"

I unclasped my hands and relaxed. I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I closed my eyes and slowly drifted into a light sleep. **(A/N: I mean no offense or anything to those who are of a different religion. :/ )

* * *

**

It was very early in the morning – the sun hadn't even risen yet – when my eyes shot open. I knew what to do.

I smiled, closed my eyes, and went back to sleep, thinking of every move I'd make.

* * *

"Why do all the bad things happen in the time that we're here?" I asked no one in particular. We were back from our last mission, and I sat with Naruto, Sakura, and Yasuko.

Naruto frowned. "Are you kidding? Stuff like this happens all the time, just they never film it!"

My eyes grew wide. "They? Film?"

"The people from the real world," Sakura clarified.

"H-how do they film what happens?" I asked incredulously. I remembered what Natalie had said about never giving up on looking for home.

"Hidden cameras are _everywhere_!" Naruto said. "I have no idea _how_ they get there, but they're there!"

I turned to Sakura. "What's the story? I _know _there's a story."

"You've heard of Masashi Kishimoto?" she asked. I nodded. He was the one who supposedly created Naruto. I often questioned that now, as the Naruto world was actually quite real. "He was the first person from the real world," Sakura continued.

"And he found a way back?" I asked.

She nodded. "But he also found a way – a jutsu, almost – that allowed him to control all that happened here. I'm not saying he's bad. He probably doesn't even realize he's doing it. He just began writing manga of stories here, and they happened. Then 'Shonen Jump' or something started filming us somehow, with Masashi's consent, and aired it to watch somehow. …Maybe in a theater. But when you and Natalie came here, you altered what would happen."

"You saved us!" Naruto said happily, and grinned.

I looked to the ground. "Yeah, but we can only hope we can save Natalie…. Wait, what about all the Japanese? Didn't a lot of the manga already happen? I mean, wasn't it filmed?"

"Yes," Sakura answered. "But, you see, I think Japan made some sort of deal with... other countries that speak in English. By making that deal, it created a whole other world, a whole other reality. That's the world we're in now."

"I don't know _how_ she figures all this stuff out," Naruto muttered.

"Hmm…," was my only response.

* * *

We were headed to hideout 1. I, of course, had told Itachi of this, and of my plan of escape. Tobi had left us behind, as always, and I had insisted on walking instead of flying.

It was a day where there was a huge storm cloud right above our heads that was waiting to break. We were, at the moment, nearing the clearing in the road where Sam, Naruto, and Sakura had seen me with Itachi. "You've grown fast," Deidara mumbled, trying in vain to start a conversation. I knew he was right – I was about as tall as him now – but I didn't answer him. (I'm on the shorter side, like him, so it would be abnormal to be his height at my age.) I just continued walking silently with a solemn expression on my face.

It was quiet all the way until we got to the clearing. There, I stopped short. Deidara stopped a moment after, and looked back to me. "Hm?" I didn't answer his wordless question of why I had stopped; I didn't even show I had heard it. He looked back to the direction we were headed, and waited for me to begin walking again. He should have known I wouldn't have answered, especially since things had been tense ever since he had ordered me to kill Katsu.

I didn't continue walking, though. When his back was turned, I made the hand signs for an Earth Style jutsu. Before Deidara knew what was happening, the ground beneath him lurched and he was flung upward. I raised my arm and used Nekomata's claw to grab him and throw him against the large rock to my right, which caused it to begin to crumble around the edges.

The pile of paper bombs I had set down beside the rock exploded, at my signal. He was flung into the air again, and this time I jumped up with him. I punched him in the stomach repeatedly, him going higher and higher with each blow. _Why…_ _isn't… he… fighting… back? _I wondered as I hit him again and again.

I changed positions and reappeared above him, where I kicked him back down to the ground. Rocks flew upwards and to the side from the impact. I landed on the ground near him; he was just sitting up, clutching his stomach. I made a few more hand signs. _Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu! _I thought as the supposed phoenix flowers began appearing, and being flung toward him.

He jumped backwards, his back now against the rock. A thin line of blood ran down to his chin and his breath was rasping, but I didn't care. I wasn't like I used to be, where I would wince whenever I saw anyone else's injury. I _wanted _him dead. I _hadn't _wanted Mamoru or Katsu to die, so this was much different.

His legs collapsed, and he just sat there, leaning back against the rock. I jumped into the air and came back down so fast I was a blur, and as I came down, I kicked downward with the heel of my sandal into the back of his head. At the impact, his head was forced down and he coughed up blood.

I jumped backwards halfway across the small road clearing, now stained with blood, and watched what he would do next. I was _sure_ that he would make a move, unless he couldn't anymore. I focused a moment for my new technique, to read his thoughts. _Hm, looks like I'm done for, _he thought.

I opened my kunai pouch anyway, and gripped it in my hand at the ready. He leaned back against what was left of the rock, hands at his sides as though his arms were dead. His head was facing upwards, eyes closed, and there were now more than one line of blood; it was almost like two roots splitting off in different directions.

He didn't seem to be moving, and his breaths were ragged. I walked over to him, took my kunai, held my ponytail up, and cut it. I dropped the hair in my hand, some of it blowing away on the breeze. I then turned away, and began to walk in the direction of the woods. I was almost out of the clearing when I heard, "Can you… do me a favor, hm?" in a low murmur.

I looked back, eyes narrowed. "What could _you _possibly want? You're nearly dead."

"Just…." He stopped.

_Hmph, maybe he's dead._ I thought. I turned away.

"Don't stay in the Akatsuki." I turned back to him. "You're not meant to be here."

"What do you mean by _that_?"

"You belong with your friends; you're not supposed to lose yourself like everyone else in the Akatsuki."

My expression softened. "Wha…?"

To my great surprise, he smiled. "Hm, maybe you're beginning to rub off on me. I'm pathetic, letting that happen. You're so innocent; I don't want you… to become like… the Akatsuki."

I squinted my eyes at him. Had I… led him to the good side? _No, _I thought. _He's too bad to be good. Besides, he's probably half-delirious. _"Do you want me to just put you out of your misery?" I asked coldly. "I'd be delighted to end your life right here."

His smile was gone by that time. "Go ahead. With all _I've _done, I _deserve _to die." His eye shot open and he leaned forward to cough up more blood. He leaned back again, breathing hard. He whispered something I couldn't hear.

"What?"

He pointed his index finger at me, then gestured for me to come closer so I could hear him. I heaved a sigh and obeyed. "Will… you get away?" he asked in barely a whisper.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah; anything else?" I asked. I still didn't like him at all, and was almost wondering when he would just die already.

I was leaning over him by this time, he was so hard to hear. His hand reached up, and the fingertips touched my cheek. "Thanks," he breathed. His arm fell limp and the fingers slid off my cheek to fall. Half-deliriousness is weird. He sighed, letting out the last of his breath.

I got up. The clouds let a single ray of sun shine through, shining on Deidara. _Maybe the sky is happy he's dead, _I thought. The ray disappeared. I thought a moment, just looking at him. "He _did _become good in the end, didn't he?" I asked myself.

I just stood there, thinking, feeling worse and worse every second. I couldn't help but connect him to Mamoru, who became good right in the end too. I remember hating that I couldn't do anything about his death. After a moment of thought... "Dammit, Deidara!" I muttered and walked over to him.

I patted him on the back once, to see if there was a response. All I got was a splutter of blood from his mouth. I put my head to his chest to listen for a beat. There was a pulse, but it was faint and weak. "Crap," I said. "I am _not _going to let this happen again!"

I laid him down on the ground, then unclipped his Akatsuki cloak. I gently took it off of him, and folded it and put it in my bag. I did the same to my cloak. I then picked him up in my arms, and rushed to the nearest hospital.

Deidara was able to get a hospital room without being recognized as Akatsuki, and was tended to immediately. "If you had come any later, your friend would have been a goner," the nurse said as I waited. "But his chances still aren't very high. We'll let you know if we have any news." It was right after we had gotten into the hospital when the storm had decided to break, and I could hear the wind howling as I sat, waiting.

There had been someone in that hospital room that had just left – he must have been the boy walking away from the hospital as I walked in – so we were lucky he had got the room. The town we were in was fairly small, so their hospital was fairly small, too.

Now all I could do was wait until the nurse said he was okay. Then I would be able to sleep peacefully.

* * *

Gaara came to the Leaf Village; it was near spring. He ran up to Naruto, Sakura and I in a hurry. He had a hidden excitement in his eyes that I had learned to find. "I found Natalie," he said simply.

"In her Akatsuki cloak?" Sakura asked.

He shook his head. "No."

"How did you find her?" Naruto asked.

"I was in a hospital, and—"

"You were in a _hospital_?" I interrupted. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine _now_, and she seemed to be taking someone in. I couldn't tell who it was, though."

"Well then, let's go!" Naruto said enthusiastically. "Lead the way, Gaara!"

"Shouldn't we tell Lady Tsunade first?" Sakura asked.

Naruto's smile faded. "Right…."

* * *

Deidara's eyes opened to slits. _Am I dead? _he thought. He winced. _No, otherwise I wouldn't be hurting like hell, hm._ His eyes glanced around the room. _I'm in a… hospital?_ His gaze stopped at me. "You…."

I shook my head. "You'd better not talk. It'll hurt."

_Can I think? _he thought.

I nodded. "Go ahead, it's not like I can stop you."

_Why'd you save me? I don't deserve your kindness._

I shook my head at the very words Mamoru had once said. "I hate it when people die right after they become good. It isn't fair."

He shut his eyes again. _Hmph, I thought I deserved to die, but maybe… I'll have a chance.

* * *

_

"Why is it always _her_?" I questioned, though I knew no one would be able to answer the question.

"I asked the same question when Gaara had been captured," Naruto answered quietly. Gaara was leading us to the hospital where he had seen Natalie.

"We're nearing the hospital," Gaara said, and veered to the right, onto the main road. We soon rounded a corner and stopped short. So did the girl before us.

Energy built up inside of me, until I just let it all out. "Natalie!" I cried, and ran up to hug her. She hugged back, apparently very glad to see me. She was actually about the same height as me now, something out of the ordinary for her. Then I remembered.

I pushed back, holding her shoulders, and looked at what she was wearing: an Akatsuki cloak. I slowly backed away, knowing how dangerous _any _Akatsuki member could be. She laughed; a sound I hadn't heard in what seemed like forever to me. "Oh, don't tell me you're afraid of your best friend! If it makes you feel any better, though…." She took the cloak off, folded it, and put it in her bag. "Any better?"

I cocked my head to the side. "Why were you wearing it in the first place?"

She shrugged. "Force of habit. That, and you never know when Zetsu is watching." I shuddered. "Now give me a _real _hug, I need one!" Naruto Sakura and I rushed for her and gave her a group hug. Sai wasn't sure what to do at first, but watched carefully and soon joined in, though awkwardly. Gaara didn't join in at all.

We eventually pulled away, luckily for Natalie who was now gasping for breath. "Jeez, don't suffocate me!" She patted the dust off her clothes and said, "I was actually going to head to the Leaf soon, right after my… friend is out of the hospital."

She looked closer at me, only just noticing the dark circles around my eyes. "I can't sleep, remember?" I cocked my head to the side. "Why don't _you_ look so tired?"

She grinned. "Don't worry, I'll fix that, and you'll be able to sleep again."

"Sorry to break into your conversation," Kakashi said, "but who is your friend in the hospital?"

She thought a moment. "I'm not sure he'd… want to see you quite yet. Besides," she looked back up from the ground, "I don't think he's quite ready yet for visitors."

I smiled despite her answer. _Natalie is back.

* * *

_

And here ends Part 5! ...yeah, thats all there really is to write here... except for REVIEW, but you already know that i desperately want you to review. ...ok, maybe not desperately, but you know what i mean. anyhoo, i hope u enjoyed it! :D_  
_


	12. Part 6 Chapter 11

Part 6: Secrets

I walked into Deidara's hospital room. His eyes were closed. "You awake?" I asked softly.

"I'm awake," he sighed, not wanting to speak too much.

"So… Sam, Naruto, Gaara, Sai, Sakura and Kakashi are here."

His gaze turned back to me. _So you're leaving? _he asked in his mind.

I shook my head. "No, not yet. But… they want to see who my 'friend' is at the hospital. First, are you good now?"

He looked away. _Hm_…. _I don't know… maybe_….

I shrugged. "A good enough answer for me. Now, are you ready for them to see you? I was going to let them 'meet' you today."

His head quickly turned to me, eyes widened. _Are you _nuts_, hm?_

"Well what _else_ am I going to do?"

_I'm gonna die, oh yeah._

I sighed. "They won't kill you if you're good now."

_They will anyway! I'm not all good, and you know it!_

"Then disguise yourself."

_Disguise?_ he wondered slowly.

"Yeah, change your look, then prove you're good. It's not that hard."

He shut his eye. _Fine with me; go ahead. …What'll be my name, hm?_

I thought a moment. "How about Haru? Haru means spring, right? Spring is a time of renew, and your soul is kinda being renewed, so…."

_Okay then_….

"Can you sit up?" He struggled to sit up, but succeeded. I looked him over. "Take off your eye scope." He did so.

_Can't I use a Henge?_

I shook my head, then pulled out a pair of gloves that allowed the fingers to poke through. "Wear these." He put them on, knowing it was to hide the extra mouths.

I looked at his face; he was still very well recognized, of course. An idea sparked in my mind. I took out a kunai, gently grabbed his ponytail…. _What are you doing?_

"I'm using this kunai to cut your ponytail. I don't have scissors, so…."

"_What_?" he asked aloud.

"Well, you don't want to be recognized, do you?"

"No, but…."

I sighed. "I'll leave it to you, I guess. I have to go meet Sam and the others. We'll be coming here to visit you. Whatever you do, be nice." I stood. "Good luck on deciding!" With a wave of my hand, I walked out of the room.

* * *

Sam, Naruto, Sakura, Gaara, Kakashi, Sai, and I stood at the door of Deidara's hospital room. The normal-looking wooden door was closed. _I wonder if he_…. I thought. "Are you ready to meet my friend?" I asked, wheeling around to face my more familiar friends. "Who knows… maybe you've seen him somewhere before." I gave a weak smile.

I turned back to the door, and put my hand gently to the knob. I turned it, and opened it…. I grinned at the sight that came to my eyes. "Guys, meet Haru," I said. Deidara was barely recognizable, his hair almost the length of Sakura's. The gloves on his hands hid the extra mouths, and there was no eye scope in sight.

He was sitting up and saw him force a smile. "And you are…?"

"I'm Kakashi Hatake," Kakashi said, "and this is Sakura, Sai, Naruto, Samantha, and Gaara."

Deidara's smile faded instantly as Naruto leaned forward, squinting his eyes, scrutinizing "Haru's" face. "Hey…," Naruto said. "You look kinda familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"

Sakura hit Naruto on the back of his head. "Of course you never met him! You don't know anyone named Haru, do you?"

"N-no!"

"Maybe Naruto has crossed paths with him before," Kakashi suggested.

"That's very likely," Sai commented.

* * *

They ultimately didn't recognize him. Before I knew it, "Haru" was out of the hospital. "Are you going to come to the Leaf, Haru?" I asked. I didn't use his actual name so I could get used to calling him that.

He was sitting on the edge of his bed, hunched over and exhausted. "I don't know…. Do you think they'll really accept me anyway, hm?"

"Well, you won't have to worry about that if you're in disguise, right?"

He sighed. "I guess…."

"Hey guys, is it okay if Haru comes to the Leaf Village with us?" I asked as Deidara and I walked towards the group.

"Sure!" Naruto answered enthusiastically.

"I don't see why not," Kakashi said. "Say, what village are you from? I don't see a headband."

Deidara squinted as he began to think. "Uh…."

"He doesn't know where he's from," I came in.

Kakashi gave a nod of understanding. "Well, we're off."

* * *

I lay in my sleeping bag, gazing at the canopy of leaves above me. "Hey Natalie," Sam whispered beside me, almost mockingly.

"What is it, Sam?"

"Are you and Haru _together _now?" I sensed her grin.

I sat upright and widened my eyes, caught off guard. "What about Naruto? Not only that, but he's _nineteen _years old!" I yelled in a whisper. My eyes stared at where she lay, although I could barely see her. The leaves blocked out any moonlight there was, if there _was _any.

"Oh," she whispered back. "Sorry, you two looked the same age to me. Maybe you finally hit your growth spurt." I lay back down and relaxed. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too," I answered softly. "And now we can look for home together."

* * *

When we got to the village, we found Deidara and Gaara a room to stay in. The first night, I was going to sleep in the same room as Sam, but in different beds. It was already late when we got to the village, and all of us were tired. The sunset that first night was blood red, and I knew full well what that meant: Orochimaru had been killed by Sasuke. Everyone else noticed the sunset, and knew _something_ had happened. They just didn't know_ what_. This was the night I decided to tell Sam what happened in the future… or at least some of it.

"Sam?" I asked that night in our room.

"Yeah?"

"Did you want to know what happens ahead?"

She turned over to look at me. "Yes, I want to know!"

"The first thing you need to know is what happened, tonight."

"What? What happened?"

"…Sasuke killed Orochimaru."

"T-tonight?"

"Yes. I know you don't like Sasuke, at _all_, but I thought you should know that." She nodded in reply. "Sasuke has probably already released Suigetsu, and is heading to another of Orochimaru's hideouts to get Karin."

"Suigetsu? Karin?"

"Sasuke is gathering three people: Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo. Here's another thing you should know." I could see the eagerness in her eyes to know everything. "Itachi Uchiha."

Her eyes went from eager to confused. "What about him?"

"He's not… 'evil.'"

"_What?_!"

"You see, he was lying this whole time."

"You mean… he was _forced _to kill his clan?"

"Kind of… it was a means of preventing war." She narrowed her eyes in confusion. "You'll understand in time." There was a moment of silence. I let her ponder what I had said, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_It's time for a meeting, _I heard in my head. It was a few days after we had gotten to the Leaf Village.

_Pain?_ I wondered. _Oh!_ He communicated with the Akatsuki through the rings. I still had my ring on, so of course I would hear Pain calling for a meeting. _Does Deidara have his ring on?_ I couldn't do anything about that, though. I hadn't seen him all day. I pulled Sam to the side.

"Sam."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"The leader of the Akatsuki just called for a meeting. I may not actually be in the Akatsuki anymore, but I don't want them to know that."

She nodded. "Okay, let's go to our room." We still hadn't gotten a new room for me. Besides, I was able to catch up with what had happened while I was gone.

I gave a curt nod, and we ran off to our room. I first took off my headband, then I sat cross-legged on my bed. "You'll know when I'm done," I said. I thought a moment. "Aw, wait…. I think we're going to be sealing bijuu! Ugh, I'll be like this for three days and nights. Is that okay?"

"...Yeah, but I am _so _sorry for you."

I shrugged. "Oh well." I made the right hand sign, and reappeared as a hologram in an Akatsuki hideout.

"You're late," Pain said as Itachi, Kisame, Deidara and I arrived at about the same time.

_Good, he came. _At another look, I found he looked like his old self, not Haru. _Transformation; smart._

"Deidara-senpai, you're alive!" Tobi cried.

"Shut up, Tobi…," he muttered back.

"We had just finished capturing the jinchuriki when you contacted us," Kisame answered Pain. "We tied him up good to make sure he didn't escape. That's what took us longer."

"I had to explain to my friends what I was doing; I've started spying on Samantha and Naruto," I lied.

Pain barely looked surprised.

"So what's up?" Kisame asked Pain, wondering why he had called us to the meeting.

"I got an urgent message that I wanted to relay to you," he said. There was a pause. "Orochimaru has been killed."

Kisame snickered. "It's been ten years since he deserted us…. So we've been spared the trouble of killing him ourselves. I would've loved to see him die as much as I would've loved to see the Zombie Combo die."

"Hidan and Kakuzu were your comrades," Pain said. "Don't say such things."

"Sorry…," Kisame answered. "Back then they were done in by…"

"The Hidden Leaf," Zetsu finished. "**The squad with Kakashi and the nine-tails jinchuriki.**"

"They're strong, that team," Tobi said. "Even Deidara got his butt kicked."

"_Tobi_!" Deidara said, obviously annoyed. "Say one more word and my patience will run out! It will, hm!"

"It takes self-control to be patient…," Tobi answered, hands slightly raised in an almost scared gesture, "and your fuse is too short for that."

"Why you-! Tobi! You!" Deidara raised a fist.

"Pipe down, Deidara," Pain said. "Tobi's right."

Deidara turned away. Tobi laughed. "You got chewed out!"

"But Tobi," Pain continued, "you always talk too much. Respect your superiors."

"Okay!" Tobi answered, raising his hand. "Sorry!"

"And we're supposed to get the remaining jinchuriki with these two?" Kisame asked. Pain sighed. "But killing Orochimaru took special skill. Who did it?"

"Sasuke Uchiha," Pain answered.

"_I _was gonna be the one to bring Orochimaru down, hmph," Deidara said angrily.

"Hmm…. He's good," Kisame said. "I'd expect nothing less from your kid brother, Itachi."

"He's gathering members…," Zetsu said. "A real troublesome ninja at that."

"What do you mean?" Kisame asked, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"You know them well, too…," Pain answered. "One of the Hozuki Brothers of the Hidden Mist…."

"You mean, Suigetsu? That brings back memories."

"And also," Pain continued, "Bipolar Juugo. So be on your guard, Itachi and Kisame…. I dare say they're targeting you two." He paused. "And the rest of you should keep Sasuke Uchiha in mind. After getting information about Itachi and Kisame, they may just come after Akatsuki."

"Kisame…," Deidara asked. "What kind of guy is he… this Suigetsu… hm?"

"It happened ten years ago…," Kisame began. "He had such a cute smile; a child prodigy who's been called the reincarnation of the demonic Zabuza."

Deidara stuck his hand out. "Hmm…. They seem like an interesting lot, hm."

"Hey, don't get too interested," Tobi warned. "And just leave me out of it!"

"Never mind that already," Pain came in. "Itachi, Kisame…. Hurry up and get the four-tails. We'll seal him the same time as the three-tails!"

"Understood," Itachi answered. We all left the meeting, dismissed.

* * *

I opened my eyes, squinting in the new light. When my eyes had adjusted to the light, I found that Sam was gone. I thought about the meeting. Then I remembered… that now was about the time Deidara went after Sasuke and blew up. For some odd reason, I didn't want that to happen.

Maybe Deidara and I _could_ actually become friends.

I ran to his room, know he would run off alone if he wanted Sasuke killed. I opened the door to find Deidara standing there, about to walk out. "Don't go," I said firmly.

"Why _not_, hm?"

I sighed. "He's lightning style, first of all. He could easily defuse any of your bombs. Second, he's better than he seems. You may think he's…" – I thought a moment to remember what he had called him – "...a fool blessed with good genes, but you'll be surprised at his skill."

"Nothing is better than my art, hm! I _refuse_ to think the Sharingan can beat it! It _can't_!"

I looked into his eyes with a firm gaze. "Listen to me. If you go, you'll die. You would detonate yourself using C0."

"Well at least he'd be dead! That is my _ultimate_ form of art, hm! It is a never-before-seen beauty!"

"Well, I _have _seen it. Sasuke simply hides in a giant snake and gets only minor injuries from the shock wave."

"You mean—"

"Yeah, this is one of my 'special' powers where I can see into the future. Don't go, it is _not _a good idea. I… I don't _want_ you to die."

* * *

He didn't go. I found Sam soon after and found that they had just figured out that Orochimaru was dead. However, I still had to seal two bijuu. I had an idea, too….

_All right. Assemble, _I heard in my head. "Let's begin," he said after all of us appeared. Itachi and Kisame were physically there, though. That was all that was said throughout, until it was done.

"Cripes!" Tobi said. "Sealing the tailed beast is such a pain! And there's more to go after this, right? Just thinking about it frazzles me."

Tobi soon left, as did Deidara. "I'd like to say something to you, Pain," I said. He gave a curt nod to show he was listening. "I'd just like to say that you might want to think about what Jiraiya says." With that, I went back to the Leaf.

"Natalie?" Sam asked as I opened my eyes.

"Yes, Sam?"

"We're going on a mission with Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Captain Yamato, Kakashi, Sakura, Sai, and Naruto to look for Sasuke and possibly capture Itachi."

I gave a curt nod. "Are Gaara and Haru coming along?" I asked.

She nodded. "I think so."

* * *

When we found Naruto on the ground with a surprised look on his face, claiming he had just tripped, I knew it was time to tell Sam about the upcoming battle between Itachi and Sasuke.

We fell back, and I whispered to her, "Sasuke and Itachi will fight soon."

"Who will win?"

"Sasuke. This is Itachi's last day."

Her eyes grew wide. "W-we need to save him! If he's a good guy, wouldn't it be unfair if he were killed?"

"Yes," I answered softly. "But—"

"Natalie," she whispered firmly. "This isn't a cartoon anymore. These people aren't just characters; they're _real people _now. These people aren't made-up. They have feelings, lives to live. We can't just let someone die if we know their end is coming. We need to try to stop it!"

There was a moment of silence. "Okay, but—"

"Then let's hurry!" she said, grinning. She went a little faster, catching up to the others.

"…But be prepared to face the consequences," I finished, though I knew she wasn't listening.

"This way, guys!" Naruto shouted.

"Wait! Naruto…," Hinata warned. "This chakra…."

We went over a particularly large branch to find Tobi standing before us. "Howdy!" he greeted.

_That's right…,_ I remembered. _Tobi is one of the reasons the group couldn't get to Sasuke._

"What the-?" Naruto asked in surprise. He fell backwards to the ground, falling on his back.

"Well now…," Tobi said. "How's it going there, there, and there?" The rest of the group, including me and Sam, jumped to our place beside Naruto. "Imagine running into the Hidden Leaf in a place like this…." I stood beside Deidara, giving him occasional glances to make sure he was holding out when challenging his partner. Then I realized he fought him nearly every day.

Sai, on his bird, flew down to where we were. "I mean…," Tobi continued. "It's two, four, six, eight… eleven against one; such bad timing." He laughed nervously.

"That robe…," Yamato said. "You're a member of the Akatsuki!"

"Though he wasn't on the list that Kabuto left us," Kakashi added.

Sam and I glanced at one another. "It must be from when we split away from the group," I whispered. She gave a curt nod. We had all split up earlier, to expand our search.

"Oh, I'm a newbie. Nice to meet you!" he leaned toward the group from his branch up above, "Except for Natalie. Hi Natalie!" He waved.

I heaved a sigh. Akamaru barked. "Ha! You think you're funny?" Kiba asked. "Don't waste our time!"

"Don't be rash," Kakashi said. "Study the situation first. Right now, we have him outnumbered."

"Oh dear…. Am I being underestimated?" Tobi asked himself. "By _these_ guys?" Naruto smirked as a shadow clone came up behind Tobi with a Rasengan. "Huh?"

"Don't get in our way!" the shadow clone cried.

"A shadow clone?" Tobi began to panic, and the shadow Naruto seemingly completely missed. "Just kidding," Tobi said.

I gave a glance to Kakashi to let him know I had a plan. "Naruto," Kakashi said. He looked back and let the shadow clone poof away.

"You're not being underestimated by me, Tobi," I assured him. "You may be awfully annoying, and sometimes funny, but you are _not_ to be underestimated." I stared at him for a few seconds. "Now, I'd like to talk to you a moment." I jumped onto the branch he was on.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can have any kind of meeting if you don't have your cloak on."

I facepalmed. "I don't _have_ my cloak right now."

"Why not?"

"I left it at the village, okay?"

"Oh, I see. _Everyone_ forgets sometimes!"

My eyes narrowed in annoyance. "All I want to say is that I want you to let us through. I_ know _what your intentions are, Madara." I whispered the last part, as no one knew yet, besides Pain, Konan, and Zetsu, that he was actually Madara Uchiha. "Well, let me say _this_. I have watched your death," I lied. "I know your every weakness, whether you know that weakness or not. Now," I made my voice louder, "Can you _please_ let us pass?"

"S-sure! Sorry for holding you up, Natalie-kohai!" With that, he simply disappeared.

I turned to the group. "We need to hide in the woods nearby the abandoned Uchiha stronghold," I said.

"Did you get that information from him?" Yamato asked.

I shook my head. "No, but I'll explain along the way."

* * *

Ok, i know deidara was probably a little OOC in the beginning, so sorry. ^-^' yeah...

review, please! :D


	13. Part 6 Chapter 12

Hooray, I got my first critic! Well actually thats probably supposed to be a bad thing but thats just me. *shrugs* well then, although i already sent a reply, i decided to just write down a few things here so that i dont get the same thing again.

ok, i know the main characters somewhat of mary sues. im terribly sorry for that, BUT this story was really just written for my and my friends entertainment until i put it on here. i was just having fun. soo... yeah. sorry about that. but really, its kinda hard to make them completely non-mary-sues. well, i suppose ill just have to work on that then huh? anyway, i still hope you happyful (couldnt think of another adjective) readers like the story!

* * *

We began running, hopping, whatever. "We don't have time for me to go into detail, but Itachi should be saved."

"Why should we trust you?" Sai asked simply.

"You _were _a part of the Akatsuki not long ago," Yamato pointed out. "How do we know your not _still_ a part of it?"

"…Actually, I don't have much proof…," I said, beginning to get unsure of whether or not I could convince them.

"Itachi?" Kiba asked. "Tch, he's nothing but scum. Right Hinata?"

"Um… sure…," she answered.

There was silence a moment. "…I believe her," Naruto came in.

Everyone turned to him. "What?" Kiba asked, his face bearing a comical look. "You just said earlier you wanted him _dead_!"

"Well, I know for a fact Natalie wouldn't lie."

"Yeah!" Sam came in.

"I suppose she's trustworthy," Gaara said. Why had he come along again? Oh yeah…. I suggested it. I was surprised he had this much time on his hands when he was the Kazekage. Hmm…. That was something to think about.

"I'll… agree with Naruto…," Hinata timidly added.

"What if she's a spy?" Sai asked.

"She wouldn't lie," Naruto repeated.

"But—"

"Just trust her!" Sakura yelled. "I'm in," she added, turning to me. I smiled in acknowledgement.

"Okay," Sai eventually said, after a short silence.

"…I'll help," Deidara said, though I could easily tell he still had that grudge against him. I'd probably owe him later….

"Tch, fine," Kiba agreed.

"I'm in," Shino said.

"All right," Yamato said. "You're sure about this?" he asked me. I nodded.

"Well, it looks like we're saving Itachi _and _Sasuke then. The two surviving Uchihas, what a mission."

"Wait…," Naruto put in. "Does that mean Sasuke's supposed to win?"

I nodded again. "Yes."

"Why would we have to save Sasuke," Sam asked, "if he's supposed to win?"

"Someone soon comes to him, and twists Itachi's story so it sounds like the Leaf Village's fault. Then he's still stuck in darkness, and ends up wanting to destroy the village."

She blinked. "Oh."

"We should also be careful of Kisame, Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin. Karin can sense other's presence, and can easily tell where we are. Juugo could go on a killing rampage at any moment. However, Suigetsu and Kisame should be occupied, as they are sword fighting as we speak," I added as we ran. And please be aware of the Amaterasu, the black fire. It would most likely kill you if you touch it." Then I told the plan I had.

There was a loud crash up ahead a minute later; thankfully after the plan was said and understood. "That's where they are," I said. Then the trees broke and there was no more cover, besides rocks anyway. And behind a large rock we hid.

"Did Itachi… die?" I heard Zetsu ask.

_Oh right… I have to do something about Zetsu._ "I'll be right back," I whispered to Sam. She gave a curt nod.

I rushed over to Zetsu, discreetly. "Huh? What're _you _doing here?" he asked.

"You ask a lot of questions, huh?" I sighed, remembering his light side said pretty much nothing but questions during the battle. "Anyway, long story. Sasuke wins, so you know, but you need to leave. I know you're interested to see what happens, but I have business to attend to here. Madara isn't as interested in what happens here either anymore. Now is it okay if you move on to somewhere else?"

His light side blinked in surprise, and he sunk into the earth. I rushed back to my original place. Sasuke's Chidori was out, and watched him let his eyes go back to normal, turning the Sharingan off. "It's… over," he whispered.

Sam gave me a look, as though to say, "He's _dead_? You said we'd save him!"

I simply shook my head. "Wait," I whispered.

Sasuke fell to his knees. "It's over!" he repeated, still in more of a whisper.

Among the rubble, we heard a voice. "Is this… the death you wanted to recreate?" Itachi asked. Sasuke's eyes shot open, and he gasped as he did so. He raised his head to look ahead. He watched in horror as Itachi slowly got up.

Sasuke let the curse mark take over when Itachi was on his knees. "Damn you!" he yelled, now standing. A new mark appeared over his eye, one that almost looked like Orochimaru's purple mark. What seemed like red fire engulfed Itachi.

Rib bones surrounded him now, and more bones kept appearing. "Without this, I would have been dead," Itachi continued. "You really have… gotten stronger…Sasuke." He got to his feet. "This time… I shall show you my final trump card… the Susano'o."

"Susano'o?" Sasuke questioned.

"Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu…. When these two powers were awakened, one more jutsu took root in my eyes." Sasuke took a step back. "Sasuke, is that it for your jutsu? If you are hiding another power, don't hold back. The real battle is only beginning." The clouds above began to clear, and rays of sunlight peeked through.

The skeleton began growing what seemed like yellow tentacles. They wrapped around each bone, forming muscle. Then the skin began to grow. It was like the top half of a body. Then armor appeared, and the eyes began to glow. It held what looked to be a shield on fire.

"What's the matter?" Itachi asked as Sasuke took another step back. "Have you used up your chakra and run out of options?"

"What?" Sasuke asked angrily. His left eye now looked exactly like Orochimaru's. He grimaced. I knew _exactly_ what was going on, after a moment of remembering. He shook his head once, and he clutched his left arm, his left hand clenched. "Damn it!" he said, struggling to say the words.

Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's shoulder to keep him from going out to help. Sasuke fell to his knees and put his hand to his head as though he had a horrible headache. His left arm then began to bulge and move on its own; it almost looked like it was bubbling beneath the surface. He screamed in pain as eight white serpents burst from his shoulder.

"Judging by the feel of it… this is Orochimaru's Eight-Headed Serpent Jutsu," Itachi said to himself.

"What is that?" Sam asked.

"It's because Sasuke tried to squeeze out more power despite having no chakra," I answered, feeling the urge to say so. _Hadn't Zetsu said something like that? No, my memory must be playing tricks._ "Orochimaru's chakra that he'd absorbed and suppressed has shoved its way to the surface."

Itachi began walking forward, as did the snakes. The Susano'o took a sake bottle, which suddenly created a fire sword. It cut off one of the snake's heads. Three serpents went at the Susano'o, and it blocked them with its shield. He cut off those three heads as well. A few more wrapped themselves around it. It broke free using its sword.

One of the snakes opened its mouth wide; out of its throat came a gooey Orochimaru. "Finally, it comes out," Itachi said.

Orochimaru chuckled maliciously, then coughed out a sword. "Being gross as always," Sam said, "puking out stuff from his mouth."

"Persistent vermin… like his namesake," I answered, still with the urge of saying so.

"This is it!" Orochimaru cried. "This is what I've been waiting for! Thanks to you, Sasuke's repressing chakra is gone! Now's my chance to take over the child's body! And…." He was cut short, as he was stabbed straight through with the sword.

Orochimaru chuckled again. "Do you think I can be beaten with that kind of attack?" he grinned, now on fire. He suddenly gasped, eyes wide.

"Now then, Sasuke…. What will you do next?" Itachi asked.

"This sword…," Orochimaru said. "It can't be…! The Totsuka Blade?" Orochimaru began to get sucked into the sake bottle. "Itachi… you had it hidden in your possession…?"

"What is that sword, anyway?" Sam asked.

"The Totsuka Blade, also known as the Sakegari Blade, is a sword of sealing," I answered. _How did I know that? No, How did I _remember _that? _"It is said to trap and seal away those it pierces in a genjutsu world of drunken stupor for all eternity." The entire snake began getting sucked in. "The blade itself is imbued with a sealing jutsu and is a variant of the Snake Sword. Orochimaru has long searched for it."

"Itachi sure has a lot of good techniques, then!"

All of Orochimaru was stripped of Sasuke, even the curse mark. "This is it… Sasuke," Itachi said. A single small white snake, which I knew was going to be burned by the Amaterasu anyway, got away. It slithered into a crack in the rubble. The severed snake heads poofed away.

"What's with Itachi's jutsu?" Sam asked me. "They're all so powerful."

My only reply was, "It's almost time."

Itachi began to cough. "Now… your eyes are mine," Itachi smiled. "I think I'll take my time to retrieve them." His eyes suddenly grew wide, and he clutched his chest. He coughed up a lot of blood into his hand, some of it going onto the ground. He fell to his knees, sill coughing. The Susano'o lost its armor and skin, and the eyes stopped glowing. The muscles soon disappeared as well, leaving the bones.

Sasuke took this as an advantage, and took out a kunai with a paper bomb attached to it. It blew up on its target, but suddenly the Susano'o was back, and was using its shield to protect Itachi, who was now standing. He began to slowly walk forward, and Sasuke began slowly backing away. "Damn it!" Sasuke cried, pulling out a kunai with seven or eight paper bombs attached. He threw the kunai at Itachi, but the shield yet again protected him. Sasuke was really freaked out by this point, believing he was surely done for.

"It's deflecting everything!" Sam whispered in surprise.

"This is also a spirit weapon," I replied. "It's called the Yata mirror and it's said to deflect all things. Combined with the Totsuka blade for attacks, Itachi is invincible." _When did I learn that?_

"Then how does he d—"

"Almost, Sam."

"They're my eyes…. Mine…." He reached his hand forward, taking one step at a time.

Sasuke jumped up and stabbed his sword into the shield. He was bounced back, soon leaning against a wall, the sword flying off to the side. We had a plan specifically for this point. Sasuke got up and backed against the wall, Itachi reaching forward, almost to his target….

"_Now_."

Yamato made wood restrain Sasuke, which made Itachi stop short in confusion. Sasuke looked down. "What the-?"

Kakashi went behind Itachi and grabbed him so he wouldn't keep walking forward. Gaara put a sand wall between the two brothers. Sai drew snakes and used those to restrain Itachi so that Kakashi could let go. Kiba and Akamaru sniffed the area for Zetsu, making sure he was gone. Hinata made sure the area was cleared of _anyone_, using her Byakugan. Deidara, Shino, Naruto, and Sam stood at the ready, Shino's hands in his pockets. Sakura waited for my signal, and I walked over to Itachi.

"Itachi, I know you were going to give Sasuke the rest of your power. I don't want you dying; you don't deserve it."

"What… are you doing here?"

"I _did _say that I knew the future, didn't I?" He replied with another cough of blood as he fell to his knees. "Sai, loosen the snakes!" He nodded and the snakes were loosened a bit. I kneeled down beside him and put my hand on his shoulder. "You're a good actor; I'll give you that, but please don't let yourself die. There was purpose for what you did, and it _can _be forgiven. You just need to learn to forgive your_self_."

He collapsed. "Sakura!" I called. She rushed toward us and began to heal Itachi. His eyes slowly closed, as though he were about to fall asleep and were struggling to stay awake, and soon he was still. I let Sakura do her job. "Sai, you can let the snakes go now."

He nodded, held up a hand sign, whispered, "Release!" and the snakes turned back into ink.

I advanced towards Gaara. "Gaara, you can let the wall down," I said to him. He did as I suggested, and I walked over to Sasuke. He obviously did _not _like being restrained. "Sasuke," I said. "I know I have some explaining to do." He answered with a simple glare. He was obviously over the fear he had not long earlier. I sighed. "I do know you would have found a way out of this by now if you had more strength, and I also know that you don't want to be restrained. Can I trust you to let me explain what the hell is going on? You can at _least_ give me a chance to explain."

"Fine," he said coldly, "but it better be a good explanation."

"Okay…. I'll make this as short as possible," I began. I took a deep breath. "I'll start a while back, sixteen years ago. Madara Uchiha used the ocular powers of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to control the nine-tailed beast, making it attack the Leaf Village. The citizens of Konoha began getting suspicious of the Uchiha, thinking it was the entire clan who caused the attack. The Uchiha were then placed on the outskirts of the village, to keep safe. Discrimination began, and their suspicions eventually became real. The entire Uchiha Clan was planning on overthrowing Konoha, Fugaku Uchiha being the mastermind behind it all. You wouldn't have known about this, as you were only a young child at the time. Itachi, as an ANBU member, was tasked with spying on the Leaf Village. He knew, though, that this… coup d'état would only lead to another ninja war. So, he began spying on the Uchiha instead. This was about the time he started acting strangely. The Third Hokage did his best to end the hostilities between the Uchiha and the Leaf, but to no avail. It was then that Danzo, against the Third's wishes, ordered Itachi to wipe out the Uchiha clan. You see, Itachi isn't as bad as you think he is."

"He killed the entire clan! Itachi betrayed the Uchiha, and became a member of Akatsuki!" Sasuke argued.

"I know it's hard to believe that Itachi, the one who you've despised for so long, was actually nice. He was a hater of war, believe it or not. Itachi was about four during the Third Great Ninja War. He was much too young to see this, and was traumatized. Therefore, he became a pacifist. So, knowing that that coup d'état would lead to more war and more deaths, he agreed to the mission. Soon after Danzo told Itachi his mission, Itachi discovered Madara Uchiha. Madara was planning on making more war by attacking the Leaf. Itachi made a deal with him that if he didn't attack Konoha, he could claim vengeance against the Uchiha, which had turned their backs on him long before. Madara agreed to this deal. Itachi killed his mother, his father, his lover, his elders; but he couldn't bring himself to kill…" – dramatic pause – "his younger brother."

Sasuke's eyes were wide, his pupils shaking. He looked away. "No…. You're lying…."

I knew everyone else was listening in on what I was saying, as they didn't know his story either. However, they kept silent. "You're alive _now_, aren't you?"

He looked back at me. "He tried to kill me three times already!"

I shook my head. "If he wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead."

"Then why did he shoot me with the Amaterasu if he knew that could kill me, huh?"

"He had to push you during this battle. You know why, right?" I paused. "To strip you of Orochimaru. Now your curse mark is gone as well. Itachi wanted, and still wants, to protect you. Before he left the village, he begged the Third to keep you safe and threatened Danzo by saying he'd leak information to other nations if he didn't keep you safe. Soon after the Third passed, Itachi appeared in the village. This was to tell Danzo that he was still alive. Itachi _wanted_ to protect you."

"Protect? No…."

"Yes, Itachi was supposed to die here. Yes, he wanted to die; he wanted to die at _your_ hands. Yes, he didn't want you to know his story. No, I'm not meant to be telling you all of this. You were instead meant to be taken in by the Akatsuki, where Madara himself would twist Itachi's story to make you want to destroy the Leaf Village." I paused. "It's up to you whether you believe me or not."

I gave Yamato a look, and he released the wood restraining Sasuke. Sasuke fell to the ground, still sitting up, but leaning against the wall. His eyes were wide, pupils still shaking, staring at nothing, most likely seeing memories. His hard breathing slowed, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

* * *

Sam and I were the ones to go to the other members of Hebi to explain what happened. Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato were sent on an urgent mission involving the Tsuchigumo clan. Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Kakashi headed back to the village, Kakashi holding Itachi and Kiba holding on to Sasuke, who rode on Akamaru, still unconscious. They were to be taken to the Leaf Village hospital, where both would be treated for their injuries.

Sam and I got to the building Hebi, along with Kisame, were on. We jumped to the roof. Suigetsu and Kisame stopped sword fighting to look at us. Suigetsu put his sword on his shoulder. "Who're _you_?" he asked.

"I am Natalie, and this is Samantha. It's nice to meet you Suigetsu; Jugo; Karin."

"Eh? How do you know our names?" he questioned.

I sighed. "I just know."

"That's not a good answer."

"Just let her explain!" Sam said, getting annoyed.

Suigetsu relaxed, having been tensed up before. "You're from the Leaf Village," Karin accused.

"Yes, and I'd like to say that the battle between Sasuke and Itachi is over. Sasuke won; Itachi is dead." I knew I was lying, but Kisame had to think Itachi was dead. I would tell the other members of Hebi later on. "What will you do now, Kisame?"

"Now that Itachi is passed, I think I'll spread my wings for a bit."

_What wings? _I thought coldly. Sam giggled at his answer, which earned a scowl from him. I turned to Suigetsu, Jugo, and Karin. "Sasuke, although he won, is now in the Leaf Village hospital, being treated for wounds. No, he's not being held in custody, so you know. We just wanted to at least treat his wounds and hope he'll agree to be in the Leaf Village again. You're welcome to come and see him if you like."

"I think we should go where Sasuke is," Jugo said. Karin and Suigetsu agreed, and we all left, leaving Kisame behind to "spread his wings."

* * *

"All right; you have some explaining to do!" Lady Tsunade said. The members of Hebi were in Sasuke's hospital room, which was in a special part of the hospital 'cause he was basically a missing nin. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino didn't know how to better explain why we were treating Itachi, and Kakashi had no time, so I was the one who was to explain it. Sam was gone for the moment as well, sitting in Itachi's room.

"You know Danzo?" She nodded, wanting to get to the point. "And how Itachi used to be a part of the ANBU Black Ops squad?" She nodded again, slower. She was wondering what I was getting at. "And how the Uchiha were being accused of causing the attack of the nine-tailed beast, which was why they were sent to live on the outskirts of the village?" She nodded even slower.

"Well, the Uchiha began planning to overthrow Konoha. All those people's suspicions became real. Itachi was ordered to spy on the village, but instead spied on the Uchiha, basically being a double agent. He didn't like this, but he knew that if the Uchiha attacked Konoha, the Land of Fire would be shaken by its roots. Neighboring lands may take advantage of this and attack; it could even lead to the Fourth Great Ninja War. Itachi, being a pacifist from a young age, didn't want this to happen.

"He gave the Third Hokage information about the Uchiha. The Third kept trying to keep at peace, but to no avail. Then Danzo, against the Third's wishes, ordered Itachi to wipe out the Uchiha, as a mission. Itachi did so, though it hurt him so much inside. He killed everyone… except Sasuke. He couldn't bring himself to kill his little brother. He then joined the Akatsuki, an organization that threatened the Leaf, to keep an eye on it from the inside.

"As for why they were both unconscious, both Sasuke and Itachi were badly injured during their battle. And that sums up my explanation, I think."

* * *

oooh, end of part 6... :)


	14. Part 7 Chapter 13

Yes! A double update! why, you ask? 'cause im going CAMPING tomorrow! :D and so, im happy, and excited, and... happy, and filled with happyful joy and joyness...

...yeah.

* * *

Part 7: Faith

"Sam, I think I have an idea," I said to her the next day. We were sitting in our room; we still hadn't gotten a new one. Gaara had gone back to his village, sad to find that Sam had become a member of the Leaf. The idea I was referring to was the one I had thought of earlier, right before I had to seal the two bijuu.

"What is it?" Sam replied.

"All of the Akatsuki can be saved, rather than killed. Or…. Maybe not Madara, and I'm not sure how we'd save Kisame or Zetsu…. But we can try saving any other 'bad guys.'"

"So basically the leader?"

I sighed. "Pretty much. Maybe Hidan, too, but I have no idea how he'd get out of that hole anyway."

"Okay then…."

_I'd like to have a meeting with Natalie. _Now.

"Oh boy, a meeting with Pain," I muttered.

Sam looked to me. "A meeting?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I gotta go then." I sat down on my bed and made the hand sign to go to wherever the meeting might be.

I reappeared as a hologram in one of the Akatsuki hideouts. Pain stood before me, also a hologram. "You said you were spying in the Leaf?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," I answered.

"I want you to try to get Hidan back, or at least his ring. Got it?"

"Yes, sir, but one thing before we go."

"Yes?"

"I'd like to give you some information that you might want to know." He gave a curt nod. "You know I know the future, correct?" He nodded. "Wait…. Is Tobi listening in?"

"No," he said, wondering what I could say that "Tobi" wasn't allowed to hear.

"Good." I paused. "Madara is using you. It's your choice whether you believe me or not, of course. And have you thought about what Jiraiya said during your battle? About how you were looking for peace in the wrong places? I believe he was right. That is all I'd like to say."

He nodded, eyes narrowed. "Dismissed."

* * *

"Is this the place?" I asked.

"Yup," Shikamaru answered. "Are you sure you want to save this guy?"

"Nope, but a mission's a mission. Besides, maybe I can lead him to the light…."

"Heh, good luck with that."

With that, he left me and Sam to dig him up. He had claimed earlier that digging him up was "too troublesome" to help with. Sam and I began moving rocks. Some were harder to move than others, and it took a while to reach our goal.

"Hey, I found something!" Sam called. I flung a rock over the top of the edge of the hole, and walked over to her. She pulled out was she had found, and dropped it immediately in disgust. She had found a decomposing arm. "Ew!" she cried.

Flies began to fly to it almost instantly. I walked over to her, grabbed the arm, and flung it over the top edge of the hole. "At least we're getting close," I said. Something caught my eye where I was standing I leaned down, to see it was a silver hair. "Yup, we're _definitely _getting close."

I began pulling away the rocks near and around the silver hair, with Sam behind me, watching curiously. Soon I found the head. I cleared all the rocks on top of it, and held it up by the hair. "You found his head!" Sam said excitedly.

We jumped out of the hole, and looked at him. After not moving for a few seconds, Sam asked, "Do you think he's dead?"

"I don't—" I was cut short with my own yelp as his eyes shot open, swung up, and bit my arm. "Dang it Hidan, get off!" I cried.

He bit harder. "There is no damn way I'm letting go!" he said through his teeth.

"Hidan, I'm a _friend_." I reached into my bag with my free arm and pulled out my Akatsuki cloak. "See? Now can you stop biting my arm? There's no way you could win anyway; you're only a head!"

He spit my arm out in reply, and fell to the ground, rolling over several times. "I'd bite your throat out!" he said matter-of-factly.

"I'm here to _save_ you, Hidan. Now we need to go and find you a body, got it?"

He glared at me, knowing I was right. I grabbed his hair and picked him up. "Ow! That's my hair, it hurts!"

"It probably hurts less than being crushed by rocks, though, right?" I answered calmly. I walked to the arm I had thrown over the edge, and took the ring on the index finger.

Then, I headed in the direction of the Leaf Village.

* * *

Sam, Hidan's head, and I sat at a table in a restaurant. "Hey, no fair!" Hidan yelled. "I can't eat without a body, and I am more hungry than you'll _ever_ be!"

"I've got a deal for you," I replied simply.

"Eh? Okay, what's the deal? Let's get it over with."

"Do you promise, if we get you a body, not to kill anyone in the village?"

"What? Why not?"

"Because we're undercover."

"Undercover?"

I nodded. "And you can't show that you're a Jashinist, either."

"_What_?"

The ramen arrived at our table, and I knew Hidan was yearning for any kind of food or refreshment. Sam put some ramen in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. "Mm, this ramen is _so_ good," she taunted.

"Fine, I'll do it," he grumbled. "Just get me something to eat. Lord Jashin will make you pay, though…."

We soon went to the Leaf Village hospital for Hidan to be treated. While we were there, Sam went off to visit Itachi. I went off to make sure Sasuke was doing well. When I walked in his room, I found him trying to sit up, while Karin was refusing to let him, saying he wasn't well enough.

"Sasuke, relax!" she said. Even at first glance, I could see that Sasuke was anxious.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I asked. Sasuke, Karin, Juugo, and Suigetsu looked at me, only just noticing me.

"_Where is Itachi_?" Sasuke asked firmly.

I began to wonder whether he wanted to kill him, or know he was okay. "Why?"

"That story…. That story seems to be true. He cried that night…." His voice trailed off, as did his gaze. He looked back at me. "Where is Itachi?" he asked again.

"Wait, what story?" Suigetsu asked.

I turned to him. "Itachi's story," I answered. I turned back to Sasuke. "You'll be able to get up and move around soon enough. Itachi is being treated in a different hospital room. He'll be okay."

Sasuke fell back to his hospital bed and closed his eyes. "Keep an eye on him," I told the members of Hebi, "and make sure he doesn't get up and move around until the doctor says it's okay."

Karin and Jugo nodded, and Suigetsu gave a simple, "Tch."

I walked out of the room, and headed where Sam had gone. When I got there, I found Itachi still unconscious, and Sam sitting on a chair beside the hospital bed. "Do you think he'll live?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, he will," _through _this_ anyway, _I finished in my mind. "He just needs to recover his injuries and from overusing his Mangekyo."

She sighed in relief. "Okay, thank goodness."

* * *

"Tell me again why I ever agreed to this deal?" Hidan asked, annoyed at the fact that he couldn't "be" a Jashinist while the deal was in effect. "I _seriously _want to slaughter someone."

I heaved a sigh. "Huh, you really _do_ complain a lot, don't you?"

"Hey, Jashin is my god! I can't just neglect his practices!" I didn't answer. "Damn atheists…," he muttered.

"I am not an atheist," I answered simply.

"Oh? Well then…. You probably follow that stupid Will of Fire, right? Ha! You people are pathetic." We were headed to get him a room to rent at the moment. Sam had already found a room for him, and paid for it (though I'd have to pay her back later).

"No, I don't. And by the way, we _aren't _pathetic, thank you very much."

He put his hands behind his head. "Yeah, right. I bet your stupid 'god' doesn't make you _immortal_."

We neared his room, having just walked in the building. "Actually, He does."

Hidan stopped, as I kept walking. "Eh?" He ran to catch up to me, then walked at my pace. "You're telling me you're immortal?" he asked, pointing at me.

I stopped at his door. "More immortal than _you_ are. You would have died of malnutrition soon enough, and gone to the hell you belong in. Plus, I don't have to go through agonizing pain like you do to _become_ 'immortal.'" I unlocked the door, handed him the key, and gestured for him to go inside.

* * *

Sam and I went to the Hokage's office the next day. Sam held out her hand to me. I rolled my eyes and handed her the amount of ryo needed to pay her back. We walked inside. There was a girl a few years older than us sorting Lady Tsunade's papers at the moment. The girl, dressed in red, turned to us, and stared.

"Hey, Yasuko!" Sam greeted. "Have you seen Natalie yet?" She laughed. "And you said she'd never come back!"

The girl, whom I now knew as Yasuko, raised a finger to indicate me. "You're… Natalie?"

I nodded, and held out my hand. "Nice to meet you." I smiled.

"I thought…. I thought you had joined the Akatsuki!"

I blinked. "Well, yes." I lowered my hand. "But I was forced. Besides, I can always fake being evil, like Itachi."

"Itachi Uchiha is in the village now, too?" Her voice was a little bit harsh...

Sam nodded. "Yes. He's recovering in the hospital right now, as is Sasuke."

"Sasuke? Are you _kidding_ me?"

"Um, no, Yasuko," Sam answered.

"If someone goes to the dark side, they _never_ come back. They _don't _change their mind."

I forced a smile. "It can happen."

She looked at me. "Sasuke left to obtain power. There isn't any way he got enough. Once you start getting, you _never_ seem to get enough. Itachi killed his whole family. _No one_ can fake being evil if they killed their family. You…. You I actually might be able to believe, if it is true that you were forced."

"Uh…." Sam couldn't think of anything to say.

_I wonder what makes her have this opinion, _I thought. Everyone _has a story.

* * *

_

Naruto soon returned from his mission, to find that Jiraiya had passed, Pain being the one who killed him. I soon had to seal the six-tailed slug, whom the vessel I recognized to be Utakata. I didn't tell Naruto of this. Naruto was grief-stricken already. Jiraiya was his sensei, his teacher. Jiraiya was a grandfather to him. A few days after, Naruto left to begin his Sage training with Fukasaku on Mount Myoboku.

One calm evening, I was going on a walk alone, in the woods. I soon came to the place where Jiraiya first began teaching Naruto. However, Yasuko was already there. She sat on the shore, occasionally throwing rocks into the pond before her.

I sat down at the edge of the woods, thinking. _I wonder what her story is,_ I thought. I cocked my head to the side, and looked at her at that angle.

Suddenly, I was no longer at the edge of the forest.

I was a little girl, in a small house, living a normal life with "my" parents. _What happened? _I wondered. I heard the door splinter open, being forced down, in the other room. A woman ran to me.

"Go hide outside, Yasuko," she ordered, and led me out. She shut the door behind me.

_Oh! _I realized. _This is Yasuko's past. I'm seeing it from her point of view! Wait… how the hell…?_

I (she) ran outside. Soon, though, it became too much. I (she) walked back to the house, and slid open the door to make sure "my" parents were okay. I watched from Yasuko's sight as the blood splattered over my (her) face. I could feel the crimson liquid, still warm against my (her) flesh.

The men had been power-hungry. That was why they had killed. They killed to attempt to obtain power.

The Third Hokage soon took me, or her, in, to the Leaf Village.

I (she) sat on a bench, watching the sunset. Tears fell. A little boy came up to me (her) and asked why I (she) was crying. "You wouldn't understand…." The words seemed to come from my own mouth, though I hadn't said them. "You wouldn't know what it feels like… to watch your family die."

The black-haired boy looked up with sympathetic eyes, and sat down beside me (her). "I'm sorry about that…. But you shouldn't cry. Daddy says not to. He says it makes you look weak."

I (she) looked to him and sniffed. "Imagine if he _died_. Imagine if your _whole family_ died. Would you cry then?"

"Oh, but that won't happen. We're a big, happy family. The whole clan is happy."

I (she) closed my (her) eyes, and let him go.

He soon got that far-off dream, a nightmare he could never believe existed. He soon found his entire clan killed, by his own brother. But by that time, I (Yasuko) didn't feel bad for him. I (she) no longer cried. I (she) had gotten over it, and decided that killing was a part of life.

I blinked, surprised at what I had seen, now back at the forest's edge. _That solves that,_ I concluded, and headed to my room.

* * *

"You've got to be f**king kidding me," Hidan said. "Why the hell would you even _ask_ that question?"

"Just making sure…." I was seeing to the fact that Hidan was still pure Jashinist, although he couldn't show it.

"I swear, Lord Jashin is going to make you freakin' pay."

"Or he'll make _you _pay. Jashin probably isn't a very forgiving lord, is he?"

"Shut the f**k up, you annoying bitch. Jashin is gonna send you to freakin' _hell_."

"_You're _the one going to hell, if you go anywhere."

"Wait, didn't you say you were immortal?" he asked crossing his arms.

"Yes, but not in the same way as you. I have an entirely different immortality, one that you could never have… as a Jashinist anyway."

He turned away from me, arms still crossed. "Hmph."

I rolled my eyes. "I sometimes seriously wonder how you came to worship that stupid 'lord' Jashin," I muttered.

He looked at me, eyes round and pupil-less, mouth square, in an angered expression. I always loved that expression in anime. I found it funny; amusing. But then, I was very easily amused. "_What the __f**k__ did you just say?_"

I sighed, not bothered by his outburst. "Are you deaf?"

"_No_, you motherf**ker!"

"You really should watch you language."

"_Shut the f**k up! _I can say what I want!"

I laughed. "Calm down, will you?"

"Stop laughing, b***h! It isn't funny!"

"_Sure_ it's not," I said sarcastically. "You're ranting at me, and I find it amusing."

His eyes narrowed. "F**king b***h…," he muttered under his breath.

We then got to the hospital. He was supposed to be checked on, to make sure he was doing well. He was sent to his hospital room.

I went to see Sasuke first, as he was doing better than Itachi, and would be out soon. When I got to his room he was on his feet, heading for the door. "Will you be staying in the Leaf?" I asked calmly. Karin, Juugo, and Suigetsu were elsewhere, so it was just the two of us speaking.

"Maybe," he replied, seeming to not care, gazing at the ground.

"Would you like to visit Itachi, now that you're on your feet and ready to go where you like?"

"Sure," he answered quietly, still playing the act that he didn't care. But, when he said that one simple word, I could tell he _did _care. It was in his voice, in his eyes. He _did _care for his brother now. ...Yay, I did a good deed!

We headed to Itachi's hospital room. We were soon walking in the door, and found him still unconscious. "You would have won that battle," I said. "He was using the last of his strength just to make it to you; to give you his power with a simple poke on the forehead."

Sasuke didn't answer. Both of us looked at Itachi a moment. It was then that he stirred. His eyes, misty, opened, to gaze at the two people before him.

My eyes widened as he did so, and rushed to tell a nurse or doctor or something that he was conscious; and, in doing so, leaving the two brothers alone.

I hope that was a good thing.

* * *

And there you go! I hope you like it, my dear readers! ^-^


	15. Part 7 Chapter 14

Hello readers! :D I know this one's a little shorter... And I'm sorry I didn't update it right when I got back from camping... Yeah, sorry. :/ But hey, today was my first day of school! Yay- ish

* * *

It was a dream. I _knew _it was a dream. Otherwise, I wouldn't be among the stars.

I was only there to watch. Only watch. I couldn't move. I could see, and I could hear. So I watched, and I listened, to see what the dream would say.

It was about Itachi, as he was the only other human being there. His cloak being on, it slowly rippled in the no-gravity area we were in. Around us were the stars. His left side was facing me, and he took no notice of me, watching the time pass him by.

I wasn't there.

A softly glowing star floated to him. It was not as it was supposed to be, but more of a glowing crystal; but I knew it was a star. It _had_ to be a star. We were among _all_ the stars.

He held it in his palm, and looked at it. The star's face - yes, it had a face - was of his mother. He held it up to his eye level, to look into the eyes of the mother he had loved, and killed. She spoke to him. "Come with me," she said in a soft voice. Another star appeared, with the face of his father. "Come with _us_."

My eyes widened as I realized they were asking him to give up on life and join them in eternal happiness. "Return to where you belong," his mother continued. "Return to your clan."

I would have yelled for him to disobey, but no sound came from my mouth. I didn't even _have _a mouth to yell from. Itachi began to melt away, as did the stars, and all of my surroundings. "We love you Itachi... come home," his mother whispered as the last of the light faded from my sight for me to return to darkness that lasted forever.

My eyes snapped open, and I jumped to my feet. _Itachi is near death!_ I knew. I _knew_.

I hurriedly slipped into my sandals and ran out the door, heading for the hospital. There were very few lights on, and not as many nurses passing by as usual. It was the middle of the night, after all.

I turned the corner, and slid on the smooth tiles, stopping at his door. I opened it immediately, breathing hard from my sudden action, going from dreaming to running in an instant. I relaxed when I found Itachi sleeping soundly, with Sam, asleep, on the chair beside him.

I smiled and went back to my room to rest, unaware of Itachi's watchful eyes.

* * *

Itachi had been conscious for a while now. I was taking him lunch, as he obviously couldn't get it on his own. Natalie was out at the moment doing who-knows-what in who-knows-where, so I was alone.

The tray of food I was holding wasn't that heavy, thankfully. It had been hard to sleep lately, since I usually found myself waking up still in the chair beside Itachi in the morning. As I walked, I examined the designs on the silver tray. I took a whiff of the food, though it wasn't appealing to me. I had already eaten.

I had gotten him cabbage and rice balls with seaweed in it, as I knew he liked it. I had also brought him dango, along with a cup of tea. Of course, I didn't bring his favorite foods _every_ day. I had gotten them today because it was Saturday, the day of the week where I brought him his favorite foods. (This was actually mostly because this was the day they actually _served _it in the hospital.)

I turned the corner and opened the door to his room. What met me caused me to widen my eyes and drop the tray to the floor, the food and tea going in different directions. "Sasuke!" I yelled. He was holding a kunai to Itachi's throat. Itachi was sitting up, and gripping Sasuke's wrist, along with the hand Sasuke was holding the kunai in. "I _knew _you'd still try to kill him!"

They were, of course, looking at me by then. Itachi let go of his hand, so Sasuke dropped the kunai, and Itachi released Sasuke's wrist. I began walking toward Sasuke, not even trying to hide my anger. "I _knew_ you weren't to be trusted!"

"Wait," he said calmly.

I didn't wait. "Samantha—" Itachi began, but stopped, as he couldn't raise his voice. He instead coughed.

I grabbed Sasuke from his high collar. "Wait," he repeated, not attempting to break free.

I flung him towards the window, which shattered. He fell to the ground, two stories below him. I crossed my arms. "That better teach him," I said to myself. I turned to Itachi. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…." He paused. "It wasn't Sasuke's fault."

"What do you mean by that? He was holding a kunai to your throat!"

"I forced him to." I blinked in confusion. "I was meant to die at his hands, and that's what I want. He now doesn't want that, however, so he struggled to stop me."

"But—"

"But it wasn't Sasuke's fault. It's never right to make assumptions."

"Right…," I turned to where the window once was, pieces of it on the floor. "Oops."

* * *

I was walking past the hospital, carrying a few groceries, when right above me, an airborne Sasuke flew out a now-shattered window and was headed straight for me. I simply took a side-step out of instinct and watched him fall to the ground.

He slid, about a foot, then looked back up at the window he had flown from, blinking repeatedly as though in a daze. He soon got up, and brushed himself off as though it were nothing.

"What did Sam do _now_?" I asked.

He turned to me as though he had only just noticed I was there. "She threw me out the window."

"Uh-huh," I said, giving a curt nod. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You don't need to be Mr. Tough Guy with me. I _know _you have some sort of soft spot."

"Hmph," he replied, and turned away.

"Well, let's go inside and make Sam apologize, shall we?"

"Tch," was his only answer. He really was getting his original personality back, which I was glad of. I was getting more and more sure that he would stay in the Leaf, though he often stated that he might leave again, most often as a threat when Ino smothered him or something like that.

I headed inside, not seeing if he was following. He was, though. We turned the corner just as Sam was walking out with the tray in her hands, so Sam and I collided. She was in a hurry, so her tray flew over my head, and my groceries were crushed between us. I took an immediate step back. The groceries dropped to the floor.

"Sorry, Sam," I said. She blinked.

I turned around to see Sasuke with rice, seaweed, and cabbage on him, along with the tray at his feet. His eyes were closed. I held back a laugh, while Sam simply giggled, unable to restrain herself.

"You're not having a good day, are you?" I asked Sasuke.

He quickly brushed away a strand of seaweed from his eye. "Nope, not at all."

I turned to Sam. "Now say sorry."

"For what?"

"First you throw him out the window for no reason, then–"

"It wasn't for no reason!" Sam interrupted. "He was trying to kill Itachi!"

"No he wasn't." I turned to the source of the voice, surprised to find Itachi leaning on the doorframe.

"You shouldn't be up yet," I scolded.

He ignored it. "I _tried _to make him kill me. Samantha, apologize to Sasuke, so that–" He stopped when he looked at him and chuckled softly. "What did you do now, Sasuke?"

"They collided; the tray landed on my head," he said simply.

He gave another small chuckle. "You should be more careful."

"Ha, ha. Like you can do any better right now."

"Better than you," he teased lightly.

"Well do I have to apologize or not?" Sam asked.

"Yes, you do," Itachi and I said at once.

She heaved a sigh. "Sorry, Sasuke."

"For what?" Itachi encouraged.

She closed her eyes in annoyance. "I'm sorry for flinging you out of a second story window."

"And...?" Itachi chided.

She sighed and opened her eyes. Sasuke's were opened by now too, though there was still food atop his head and on his face. I could see in Sam's eyes she was holding back a grin. "And I'm sorry for making the food fall all over you. It was an accident."

Itachi and I turned to Sasuke and waited for an answer. "It's okay," he said, rolling his eyes. "What are we, little kids?"

"To me you are," Itachi smiled.

Sam turned away to help Itachi back into his bed, and left me to help Sasuke out. "Come on," I said with a wave of my hand. "Let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

Before I knew it, Itachi was out of the hospital. Sasuke, Natalie, and I were the happiest, though I thought Sasuke might have been faking it. I _still_ didn't trust him. Anyway, I was walking in the woods one day, when I came across a clearing. It looked familiar, but I don't remember how. I had never been there before.

Standing in the center of it was none other than Itachi. _Hm, let's see if I can still do this, _he thought. He took a few kunai, jumped up, and began throwing them at the targets and at each other.

That's _where I've seen this before! _I realized. This used to be where Itachi trained, before he was ordered to kill the clan. All of the kunai hit every target, including the blind spot behind the rock he was facing. He fell back to his feet, but then began to cough.

I got up and tried to help him. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"What are you doing here?" he answered, not answering my question.

"I was taking a walk in the woods, and happened to come across this clearing, so I ended up seeing you coughing hard after you had trained. Are you alright?" I repeated.

"I'm fine, perfectly fine."

He straightened his posture after having been bent over in a coughing position. "Are you sure?"

He sighed. "I don't know why you bothered saving me. Yes, I'm alive, but barely. So why not kill me now? I _wanted _to die at Sasuke's hands. I'd die soon anyway. I ingested various medicines, hoping to stay alive long enough to be killed by him. But now, those dreams are surely impossible. Impossible..."

"No," I said, trying to comfort him. I put my hand on his shoulder. I was getting taller now, so it was even easier. In fact, I was almost as tall as him. (Although, I _was _pretty close to his height even before I grew.) "You didn't deserve to die, and you aren't going to, I _promise_."

He looked at me. "I have a fatal illness, Samantha. I am to die soon enough."

I lifted my hand off of his shoulder and turned to face him. "You need to believe in yourself. Have faith, and you will live. As long as you have something to live for" - I smiled, and embraced him - "you can pull through." I pulled away, smiled, and walked out of the clearing.

* * *

Itachi, Sasuke, Haru, Naruto, Natalie, and I sat at Ichiraku for ramen. The order from left to right was Natalie, Haru, Naruto, Sasuke, me, and Itachi. I didn't like sitting next to Sasuke, but I lived. Itachi ate his slow and steady, as did Natalie. Naruto, of course, gobbled his down, while Sasuke and I ate at a normal pace. At least Sasuke wasn't like he once was, where he would compete with Naruto over who could eat more, and faster.

Sakura and Ino soon walked by. "Hey, Sasuke!" they said. Sasuke stopped chewing. Ino shoved me off my seat and sat down beside Sasuke. I landed on Itachi's lap.

"So, have you decided on staying in the village yet?" Ino asked. Sasuke swallowed what was in his mouth.

"Ino, be nice!" Sakura said, and helped me up. I sat on the chair beside Itachi, on the other side, and pulled my ramen over to where I was.

"I don't know what you see in Sasuke," I muttered. Sakura and Ino looked at me strangely. "What? I _hate _him. He's not cute, for one. In fact, _I _think he's _ugly_. For two, what made you like him in the first place? What with his obsession of revenge, his unresponsiveness, his rudeness, his emo-ness, his duck-butt hair..."

Ino and Sakura gawked at me, while Sasuke blinked in surprise. They both stood, as did I. They looked at one another, smiled, and punched simultaneously. I simply dodged.

We soon found ourselves doing the opposite of tug-of-war, pushing against one another, with Itachi, Sasuke, Haru, Naruto and Natalie, watching. Yasuko walked by, and I released my grip. "Hey, Yasuko!" I greeted. Ino and Sakura stumbled forward.

Natalie got to her feet and walked over to Yasuko.

* * *

I pulled Yasuko to the side, Sam getting punched, hard, by Ino and Sakura behind me. "May I help you?" she asked in an almost annoyed tone.

I gave her a look of sympathy. "I'm sorry for what happened to you," I said, "having to watch your parents..."

"How would _you _know about that?"

I pointed to my head. "A special power only the Riaru Clan possesses."

"Riaru?" she asked with a quizzical look. "Real?"

"Never mind... Look, I know what you saw was horrible, and there's nothing I can do to change that. But... Itachi was forced to _kill _his whole family, other than his brother. How do you think _he_ feels? Sasuke had his whole _family_ die, not just his parents. How do you think _he _feels?"

"Killing is a part of life," she answered coldly.

"Pain had to watch his parents be killed, just as you did. He didn't turn out to be like you are. He is now searching for world peace, though in the wrong places."

I knew she had no idea who Pain was, but oh well. "Peace," she said under her breath. "There will _never _be 'peace'. 'Peace' is only a dream, just out of our grasp. 'Peace' is impossible."

I cocked my head to the side. "Doesn't your name mean peace?" I asked. "I'm almost certain your parents, the ones who named you, wanted their daughter to bring peace to the world, not more war and hostility, don't you think?" She didn't answer, but instead began walking away. "Have faith in your parents," I said. "I'm sure they loved you more than their own lives." She continued walking. "At least think about it!" I called.

I sighed. I doubted she would listen to me, the person that she still didn't trust.

The next time I passed her however, a few days later, she attempted at greeting me with a warm smile. I smiled back.

* * *

yeah... nothing to write here... please review! :)


	16. Part 8 Chapter 15

Important Note: this chapter contains SPOILERS and dialogue from Naruto: Shippuden episode 174, which is also Naruto manga chapters 448 and 449. Thank you.

Also, this chapter contains MAJOR OOC-ness. Just warning you.

* * *

Part 8: Peace

Soon, almost _too _soon, Pain asked me mentally whether I had Hidan's ring. I answered with a yes, and he asked me to meet him in the woods near the clearing where one of the village lookouts… or outposts or whatever were located. I knew that this meant Pain was preparing to attack the village.

He would soon completely obliterate the Leaf, send Tsunade into a coma, and kill himself in the end. ...That is, unless I could stop it.

The next morning, I grabbed the ring and stuffed it in my pocket. I told Sam I was going for a walk; she asked to come along, but I said no. "You need more rest," I said. "You still haven't fully recovered from when Itachi was in the hospital."

She sighed. "Fine... But if something bad happens, signal me with a paper bomb. Okay?"

I laughed. "Geez! Who are you, my mother?" I stopped, realizing that we hadn't seen our family in almost three years. "Right... I'll see you soon!" I walked out the door. _I hope, _I added, not aloud. I knew that if this turned wrong in any way, which was likely, I could end up not coming back... not alive, at least.

I eventually got to the designated meeting place. All six paths of Pain were waiting there, along with Konan. There wasn't even a greeting; his Deva path – Yahiko's body – went forward, and he held out his hand expectantly. I placed the ring in his palm, and he closed his hand into a fist.

His new Animal path – the only girl path – then summoned a bird - with Rinnegan eyes, of course - and let the bird take the ring away, most likely to Zetsu. "I'll be going now," Pain said, and began walking away in the direction of the outpost/lookout thing. Konan began to follow.

"Wait!" I called. They stopped, and the Deva's head turned, as did Konan's, still not that far away from me. "Deidara is still in the village. Wouldn't it be unwise if you were to obliterate an ally accidently, as well as your foes?"

"I won't be simply destroying the village at random. It will be a controlled attack," Pain answered, unperturbed. He turned away again.

"Pain," I said, not wanting him to obliterate the village. Wait. He was still my leader; right. "Er… Leader."

"What is it you want?" he asked, turning his head. "Just say it."

I took a deep breath. "Whether you believe me or not, Madara _is_ using you. I know you don't want to believe me, but I'd really wish for you to return to the right path."

He narrowed his eyes at me, and I sighed, knowing he wouldn't listen. "Can you just do this one favor for me?" I asked.

"What is it?" he asked, eyes still narrowed.

"Don't use the Almighty Push to destroy the entire village."

I saw slight confusion an both Pain and Konan's eyes. "Alright…." He answered, not knowing _why _he would need to do that. Suddenly the paths were gone. Konan gave me a slightly sad look, and followed behind him. I mean them. Yeah. I leaned against a nearby tree with a sigh. _That _didn't work.

A few seconds later, none other than Madara appeared out of nowhere, without even so much as a poof. "So," he said, "my suspicions were correct." I looked up at him. "You were giving me away, huh?"

I stood. "Yeah, I was, because I thought Nagato deserved to know that. You, however, don't deserve anything."

I would say his expression, but I couldn't tell behind the barrier of the mask. He gave a low chuckle. "Did you really think Pain would listen to _you_? The last time he checked, you were still against the organization. Wouldn't it make perfect sense for you to lie about me so he'd be on your side?"

"I suppose it would make perfect sense," I answered calmly, "but at least I spoke the truth."

He chuckled again. "Well, he didn't listen, and now you'll be able to watch your beloved village be destroyed. What a pity. You worked so hard for nothing. Maybe I'll just knock you out, take you away, and put you out of your misery before it gets worse."

"Well that won't be necessary," I said, turning away. "If that's the case, then I'll at least want to say good-bye to my friends."

I took a step, but Madara appeared in front of me, grabbed my neck, and began to lift me up. "Too bad." I grabbed his hand so I'd be able to breathe at least somewhat.

"You aren't... doing so well... either, are you?" I asked calmly, though I was struggling to just take a breath. "I think... I made quite a few... accomplishments. Your precious Sasuke is... out of your grasp, for one. I think... that's pretty good for... someone like me, huh?"

"Be quiet; it's less painful," he answered, sounding innocent.

_Now it begins, _I thought. _This determines whether I come out alive._ I kicked him in the shin, and he let go in surprise. I coughed a moment, but soon got to my feet, knowing he could attack at any moment.

When I looked up, however, he was gone. _Crap! _I thought, looking around me. Right as I looked down, his fist came up, and I was sent flying. He disappeared, then reappeared to my side and hit me into a large tree, knocking it down. My arm was slammed against it, my whole body on top of it for the moment I stayed there.

Despite the almost-sickening crack I heard from my arm, I got to my feet. I reached my good arm out, and Nekomata's claw shot out. It grabbed him, but he disappeared soon after, and reappeared above me to shove me into the ground. _This isn't going too well... _Not able to use my left arm, I used my right to hoist myself up.

I took out a kunai with a paper bomb attached, and threw it into the air. I kinda needed help now. Then I mustered up my will, and endured the pain of doing a jutsu, though this meant I had to use my now broken arm. I grimaced, but was able to succeed.

_Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu! _I at first aimed at him, but he disappeared. So I instead spun around in a circle, hoping to hit him as he reappeared.

I _did _hit him, but it barely hurt him because he transported soon afterwards. Before I could do anything, he was behind me again. Then, there was a kunai to my throat.

"Bye," he said. He would have cut in deep enough to kill me if I hadn't used a substitution. "Damn," he muttered, looking around to where I might be.

I jumped down, hitting him over the head. "Ha! You've been logged!" I said happily, not quite remembering where I got that from. _Maybe some YouTube video, _I suggested to myself. **(A/N: It's from Naruto Abridged. :D)**

"You're quite _annoying_, aren't you?" he asked, slightly angry, shoving me out of the way. "See how you like _this_!" I jumped backwards, barely aware of the figures about to attack him. However, without any warning, he transported in front of me saying, "_Five-Pronged Seal Release!_" He shoved me in the stomach, and all went black.

* * *

I had been in a room in the cipher division building with Shikamaru, Sakura, Shiho (you know, the girl with the swirly glasses that's crushing on Shikamaru?), Haru, and Yasuko. Itachi was in bed, trying to rest, as he wasn't feeling all that great. I had asked him to go to the doctor, to make sure he was okay, but he refused. Sasuke wanted to stay with him if I were gone, though I thought it wasn't too safe. Naruto was still training for Sage mode at Mount Myoboku.

We were trying to figure out what Jiraiya's message meant. Yasuko, Haru and I had walked in moments earlier, to see if I could help. "Have you figured the message out yet?" I asked the three sitting at the table.

Shikamaru nodded. "The-real-one-is-not-among-them."

I blinked. "Oh! I know this one! Natalie told me. It means—" I stopped, as I had heard a distinct pop, coming from the window. I looked out, and, above the forest, there was the remnants of a paper bomb explosion. "Oh, crap!" I exclaimed, and turned to the others. "Natalie's in trouble!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Look, we don't have time to—"

"Then I'm going! Anyone else who'll come, just follow me!" I rushed off, jumping out the window. When I looked back, I found Yasuko, Haru, and Sakura following me. Aw, they cared.

When we got there, we found Natalie with Tobi holding a kunai to her throat. We made a plan, and before I knew it, we were sneaking up on Tobi, about to attack him. He didn't seem to be aware of our presence. "See how you like _this_!" he shouted as we closed in. I noticed that his voice had gotten considerably lower. Weird. Maybe he hit puberty.

He disappeared right as we thought we had him, and I watched as he shouted "_Five-Pronged Seal Release!_" He must have done _something_. Otherwise, Natalie wouldn't have fallen to the ground. I would have cried out if I hadn't stopped myself. We needed the element of surprise.

Tobi stood there, crossing his arms in satisfaction. _This isn't the idiotic dunderhead _I _remember, _Haru thought.

Now was the time I rushed at him, Kunai in hand. After Tobi simply dodged, now knowing our presence (maybe that _wasn't _such a good idea), I rushed over to Natalie. When I reached her, though, she stood, wide-eyed. Her eyes were odd: one a glowing yellow and the other an illuminating green. Then she screamed a somewhat ghostly scream, and blue fire engulfed her. All of this happened so quickly, too.

A sinister grin grew from the fiery cat-like form, and I knew, then, that it was Nekomata. There were no black, angel-like wings, as Natalie had once said. Huh, she was wrong for once.

"What the hell did you _do_?" I cried to Tobi.

"Released her seal," he answered simply, and attacked the chakra beast.

None of us could really do anything about what happened then. I had no control over what went on, unless I went Houkou myself. I had learned that Houkou was stronger than Nekomata; and the Kyuubi, Naruto's beast, beat both of our beasts combined. Surely Tobi would be able to beat the crap out of Nekomata. Maybe even without trying.

The Akatsuki had captured the two-tailed beast before, and they could do it again. Of course, the Akatsuki usually worked in two-man teams, and Tobi was only one person.

Either way, though, the odds were stacked against Natalie, and there was nothing I could do about it. That is, until Nekomata lost its form, and returned to its original: Natalie.

Sakura, Haru, and I rushed over to her to see if she was alright, while Yasuko attempted to attack Tobi on her own. Sakura immediately began to heal her, though there wasn't much to heal besides her broken arm. She just needed to wake up.

She gave a small cough in reply to the healing. Haru just sort of watched. He got up and rushed to attack Tobi. "Tobi, you damned filthy _bastard_!" Haru swore as he tried to attack.

Tobi chuckled. "Tobi? Tobi is just a character of mine." I could sense the malicious grin hiding behind the mask. I looked in the small hole in his mask, seeing if I could decipher his expression. I instead found something very unusual indeed: the Sharingan.

Haru stopped short at seeing that, as did Yasuko. Sakura and I just stared. It was Haru that seemed most surprised. Haru then produced a glare that, if looks could kill, would have made this supposed "Tobi" die.

Okay, maybe I was wrong. "Tobi" instead laughed. "What's wrong?" he taunted. "Don't like the Sharingan, do you?" Then they attacked him again.

"Tobi" chuckled. "My work is done for _now_, I suppose," he said, and disappeared.

"Bastard...," I muttered.

* * *

I sat up. "Where the hell am I?" I asked myself. I looked around. I was in a meadow of some sort, flowers all around me. "Not real," I sighed, having hoped that maybe I had gone home.

Then the past events came flooding back. "Oh!" I said, and jumped to my feet. The sudden movement made me somewhat dizzy, but I didn't care. I glanced all around me, trying to recognize this setting.

A figure appeared, and walked up to me; he had red hair, a scar over his eye... "Hey Kats–" I stopped myself, and stared at him. "A-aren't you supposed to be...?"

"Dead?" Katsu finished, and laughed. "Hell yeah, and it feels _good_! No more pain, or age... No matter what, I'm fit as a fiddle!" I noticed only then that he seemed to had regained some youth.

Someone off to the side cleared his throat. I looked over to the new visitor. "Mamoru?" I gasped.

He smiled. "Good to see you again."

Katsu elbowed my arm. "See? I told ya you'd go far, kid!"

"But..." I said, "does this mean _I'm _dead?"

Katsu laughed. "No, no. You're certainly not doin' well, but you aren't dead yet!"

"Then why...?"

"Everyone you care about most, those you feel sorry for and such, are somewhere in this dream world."

Itachi appeared next. "Oh, _God _no!" I cried. "Don't tell me we've lost you!"

"People are here, dead or not. They just can't respond unless they're spirits."

All Itachi gave was a smile. I turned around, and found that Sam was there, along with Deidara, Pain, Yasuko... Anyone I wanted to or had already saved, or changed. Itachi joined the group, and I noticed that Deidara wasn't Haru, he was his normal self. Katsu and Mamoru seemed to stand out from the crowd, almost… _glowing_.

"Well, congratulations!" Mamoru said. "You, my dear friend, have opened the power of the Riaru clan."

"What power?" I asked, having no idea that there even was a power other than the ones I had already figured out.

He shook his head. "You will soon find out."

"But... how did I get it? All I did recently was get the crap beaten out of me by Madara."

"You will figure that out in time," he answered, and the meadow began to melt away. Everyone but Mamoru and Katsu were gone. They seemed to be giving off the only light, though there was nothing else to see but them. In fact, we seemed to be standing on nothing at all.

They smiled. "See ya, kid," Katsu said.

"Farewell, friend...," Mamoru added, beginning to slowly fade away into darkness. I, however was speechless.

"Good luck!" Katsu called, his voice echoing. Then, everything was dark.

* * *

"She's moving!" I cried in delight. Sakura had begun to gently lift Natalie, so we could take her back to the Leaf. The movement I had seen was of her eyes; they had squeezed even tighter shut.

"She's conscious," Sakura said gladly. But... there was something wrong.

I cocked my head to the side as she began shedding tears of blood. "Sakura, what's wrong with her?" I asked.

Her eyes soon relaxed, and all of us were silent, waiting to see what would happen next.

Her eyes slowly opened, but there was still something wrong. Only the whites of her eyes showed, like before. "Natalie?" I asked softly.

Then her eyes changed. Black vein-like lines crawled to the center of each eye, until the eyes were black in entirety. A speck of red swirled in the center of each eye and grew, where the pupil and iris were supposed to be. Then I could see that the red _was _the pupil, just without an iris.

Her eyes shut tight again and she put her hand to her head. "Ow! What the hell?" she muttered. "Stupid Mamoru, not telling me what it was..."

"Natalie... are you all right?" Sakura asked.

Natalie opened her eyes, and looked around with her red pupils. "Oh!" she exclaimed, then smiled. "Hi guys. Where did... Tobi go?"

Yasuko shook her head. "It turns out his name isn't Tobi," she said.

"Bastard...," Haru muttered.

"Do you know what it really is?" she asked.

"No," Sakura answered.

She sighed. "Do you _want _to know?"

"Hell yeah!" Haru replied.

"Madara," she said quietly. "Madara Uchiha."

There were a few small gasps, as can be expected. Haru seemed to get a spark of anger. He looked as though he wanted to kill this "Madara." Of course, we all did. He just seemed the most... ambitious.

While my attention was drawn away from Natalie, she attempted to get to her feet. I turned when I realized what she was trying to do. "Oh, let me help," I offered. She gratefully accepted and Sakura and I helped her to her feet.

"I'm fine now," she said with a smile, and we released her, staying near in case she fell.

I couldn't help but stare at her eyes. I squinted at them, trying to see what they were. It wasn't Rinnegan... Not Sharingan, or Byakugan. "What is it?" Natalie asked me, snapping me out of my thought. "Is something wrong?"

"You're eyes…," Yasuko said.

Her face then bore a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"We'll show you in a mirror when you get back," I replied. We all began walking in the direction of the Leaf. "Need help?" I asked Natalie.

"I'm fine," she said. Then her eyes widened. "Oh no; Pain! The village is about to be—" – a loud "_boom!"_ interrupted her - "…attacked…," she finished.

_No… not the village…. That's basically my home now! Not only that, but Itachi is there!_ The worry was building up….

"You guys go back to the Leaf Village. I have something to do."

"Can I come?" I asked, not wanting Natalie to get hurt again, or not be able to do it because she was still worn out.

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "Just go. I can do this on my own. I have to save a life."

I blinked. "…Okay."

"C'mon!" Sakura said, and ran off, Yasuko and Haru following behind. I soon ran off too.

"Don't die, hm!" Haru called to Natalie.

_Hehe… Haru sounds like Deidara when he does that, _I thought as I ran.

* * *

"Don't die, hm!" Deidara called to me as he ran off.

Wow. How sweet. …Ish…. Well, he didn't want me to die; that was nice. Maybe that was his way of saying "be careful." He was, after all, once a man who didn't care if his partner died. He actually laughed, or rather, chuckled, when he found Sasori hadn't survived the battle with Sakura and Lady Chiyo.

Anyway, I needed to find the highest point near the Leaf village. I focused chakra at my feet and ran up a nearby pine tree, so I could get to the top. I noticed that my arm wasn't broken anymore. _But either way, there goes my record for not breaking any bones._

I looked all around me when I got to the top of the tree, looking for the highest point. That's where Pain would be, and if I found Pain, then I could listen in on Naruto and Pain's meeting. And if I could do _that_, then I could stop Pain from killing himself. I could try and convince him to wait. Wait until he had the strength to do the jutsu that brought everyone back to life. Then he'd survive.

I hopped from treetop to treetop to the nearest high point I saw. _Look for a paper tree. Paper tree…. Paper tree…,_ I thought when I got there.

He wasn't there.

I went on top of another tree, getting a better view of everything. Then I saw the highest point. It was on the other side of the village.

_Lovely.

* * *

_

Ugh. I had a horrible headache, and I was tired out from the fight with Madara earlier, along with running around the village.

I was on the hill/mountain (don't know which one it was) when I saw the "World Devastation" thing in the air nearby. It scared me half to death when eight-tailed Naruto burst from the sphere. _Oh. Nope, now it's nine tails._

Soon all went silent, and I hurried even faster to the paper tree. Before I knew it, I could see it up ahead. I listened carefully, standing as close as I could to the false tree without touching it. I didn't want Konan – or _anyone _in the tree, for that matter – to know I was there.

"I will be Hokage!" I heard from Naruto. "And I will bring peace to the Hidden Rain!" Wow, Pain was already done with his story? Maybe I was searching longer than I thought…. "Please believe in me!"

There was silence, then I heard something inaudible. I strained my ears, willing them to listen, to hear all they were saying. This was essential to my plan. I tried focusing chakra in them._ Well _that _worked_, I thought when I could hear a lot better.

"That you will not change no matter how great the pain you face," someone I assumed to be Nagato said. I hadn't heard his English voice yet…. "Can you continue believing in yourself? Can you _guarantee_ it? Do you have such faith in yourself?"

"I've experienced pain too…," Naruto murmured. Nice. I could hear that! There was silence afterwards. Time to be lost in memories. Then, "There's a lot of pain nested inside me, too. There's no telling what kind of pain will come after me. But… if I stop believing because of that… if the hero should change, it'll turn into another story. It'll turn into a different story than the one my master left behind. Then it won't be Naruto!"

I can't write stories like my master did," Naruto continued. Their conversation continued a bit, me listening to every word. When Nagato said the word "believe," I knew it was almost time.

"I wasn't able to believe in Jaraiya," Nagato said. "Nor… could I believe in myself. However…. I have a feeling that, unlike me, you will walk towards a different future." I heard a different sound. A sound I couldn't understand. "I think I shall believe in you… Naruto Uzumaki." That was my cue to get in there. _Quick_. "Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth," Nagato said as I started poking the paper, looking for an entrance.

"Nagato, don't!" Konan cried.

"Konan… it's okay," he answered. "I am making a new decision. A decision I had once given up on." I began just shoving my way into the paper.

Well, maybe I pushed too hard, as I stumbled forward and nearly fell. "Stop!" I yelled. They all turned to look at me in surprise. "Wait, Nagato, Pain, Leader, whichever you wish to be called." All three of them were staring at me, which a bit uncomfortable on my part. "You'll kill yourself doing that. Wait. Wait until you have your energy back. At least then, you will live."

"Wait, what is it? What kind of jutsu is that?" Naruto asked.

Konan looked to the ground, and to the side. "Those who possess the Rinnegan are able to manipulate the jutsu of all six Pains, and are said to exist outside the realm of life and death. Nagato's ocular power is the jutsu that controls life and death. He is the seventh Pain." Naruto made a small gasp.

"So, Nagato, don't do it. Not now. You can save the people you've killed when you're strong enough that you won't kill yourself." Konan bit her lip. "If you wait, you'll save others and not kill _yourself _in the process."

After a painfully long minute, he slowly released his hands, setting them down again. "…I'll wait." Konan gave me a look that seemed to say "thank you."

* * *

I smiled at Naruto proudly as he was thrown into the air and caught, again and again. I was happy for him, but… as a friend. I had run to Sakura, told her of what had happened, and she rushed alongside me to heal Nagato. Ino had come along as well, seeing as Sakura was tired from healing many of the injured. When Nagato claimed he was well enough to do the jutsu, Konan fretting all the while, we let him do so. Other than being considerably shaky afterwards, he was fine. Especially since Sakura and Ino were there to do a last healing. Then, he set off for the Rain again.

Well, at least it all worked out.

* * *

"Well, how do I turn it off?" Natalie cried, having had just looked in the slightly broken mirror in our slightly broken house. "Gosh _darnit_, Mamoru!"

"Well, it's an ocular power, right? Like the Rinnegan, Sharingan, and Byakugan."

"Yeah," she answered slowly.

"Well, wouldn't the first step be to name it?"

She thought a moment. "I guess so, but it must somehow have a name. Mamoru said that I had awakened 'the power of the Riaru clan,' so..."

I thought. "Well what does it even _do_?"

She thought. "Well, who can we test it on?"

"Sasuke!" I said immediately, hoping it would cause him pain.

"If he agrees to it."

"Fine," I sighed.

* * *

We walked to where Itachi's new home was, knowing Sasuke would be there. I noticed his house was bombarded considerably. (Half of his house was gone.) They turned to look at us when we got there, then ended up staring at Natalie, her eyes in particular. The staring ceased when Itachi took a sharp intake of breath, and began to cough.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke and I asked, concerned. I glared at him, and he blinked in reply. I grew especially worried when he coughed blood into his hand.

"_What did you do_?" I asked Sasuke.

"Nothing!" he answered.

"Sure," I said sarcastically. "You go almost instantly from wanting to kill him to loving him like a brother again? _Then _you're here with him, alone, and he starts coughing up blood when we get back? Do you expect me to believe that you aren't to blame?"

"But I didn't!"

"Guys!" Natalie came in, gesturing to the suffering and in pain Itachi.

Without thinking, I hoisted him onto my back (how else would we get him there?) and we rushed to the hospital at once.

* * *

"If it wasn't you, then what happened?" Sam asked, continuing her argument with Sasuke the minute Itachi was treated. We were now beside Itachi in his hospital room (thank God the hospital was still intact), him being only half-conscious.

Itachi held up his hand between them, signaling for them to be silent. "If you haven't figured it out by now, I have a fatal illness," he whispered. Sasuke blinked in surprise, while I simply gazed at the ground. I had forgotten about that...

"I ingested many medicines, before, hoping to live just long enough to die at your hands, Sasuke. I know now, though, that that dream is completely and utterly impossible. I was happy before. I lived for one goal: to die. Now the person that I wanted to kill me... _can't _kill me. Now that I have even more time on my hands, I'm able to think and rethink of all that has happened in my life. Old scars are open, thinking of the mistakes I've made, having to face regret. The only other thing to do is watch the time, ticking away; watch my life, simply passing me by. This is fatal, and I know I'll die. I just wish that I could have died... the way I had wanted... Now I don't have reason to live..." His voice faded, as he drifted into a peaceful sleep; the medication had done its work, for the moment.

* * *

**(A/N: WARNING: this part of the story contains extreme OOC-ness. Thank you.)**

"Can Natalie test this new jutsu on you to see what it does?" Sam asked excitedly.

"I mean, are you willing?" I added.

"Uh, sure," Sasuke answered with a quizzical look.

"To the third training field!" Sam said happily.

When we got there, passing a considerable amount of fallen trees on the way, Sasuke, as we could obviously tell, was having a wash of old memories that he had tried to forget before to fulfill his former purpose: avenge his family and kill Itachi. In fact, I could feel his emotion.

"Ready?" Sam asked.

He snapped back to reality. "Yeah. So, am I just supposed to let it overtake me or something?"

"I guess," I answered. "I just need to figure out what this does."

"Okay, go ahead. I'm ready."

Sam began watching in anticipation. I let my eyes focus on him as I put my hands in a tiger position to focus my chakra. I could see his chakra and his mind. My sight automatically zoomed in to his mind, and I let it do so. What I saw, or rather, saw and _felt_, was confusing.

I had choices, many choices. It was almost as though there were a lot of switches before me, and I had to choose which one to flip up, or down. There was one big "switch" there, but I didn't dare touch it until I knew what it did. Besides, I almost immediately knew it would take up a hell of a lot of my chakra to pull. I chose one at random and I went back to my original sight to see what happened. Sam had already burst into laughter, while Sasuke was wondering what she was laughing at. I raised an eyebrow.

_He _had become a _she_.

I laughed too. "What?" he - er, _she_ - asked. Sasuke put her hands over her mouth at the sound of her new voice, making a small squeak. This made Sam laugh even harder. "_What the hell did you __do_?" she cried, her voice squeaking again at the "do."

"Sorry, Sasuke!" I said, and went back into her mind. That "switch" had taken up a considerable amount of chakra, so I flipped it back to its original and tried a little bit of a smaller one.

I went back to original vision, finding him blinking rapidly. Then, he began acting as though he were a butterfly of some sort, prancing around and attempting to reach the pollen in some of the flowers. Sam was dying by this point. **(Note: I did NOT come up with a lot of his... changes.)**

I went back into his mind, changed him back to normal, and tried another choice. This was getting to be fun for me. I watched, then, as he sat down, got out a kunai, and began silently cutting his wrist. "Uh...," I said. I changed him back to normal and tried another.

Sai had walked by right then, discreetly watching from the forest, interested in what was going on. Sai seemed to catch Sasuke's eye. "_Hello_," he said, grinning.

Sai blinked. "Why do you notice me now, when you haven't so much as looked at me before?" he asked, confused.

Sasuke took a step closer, now standing. "'Cause you only _just _caught my eye," he answered, almost seductively.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "What... the... hell?" **(A/N: Sam was actually the one who came up with this part, along with the cutting the wrist and all that. :/ I found it very… weird to write…. And uncomfortable. It wasn't very enjoyable. Please don't blame me for these parts. Blame the real "Sam." )**

I changed him back to normal, and tried another, almost afraid of what would happen next. I was literally playing with his mind. I learned when I came to my sight, that I could also change looks. Sasuke blinked. "What the _hell _was I just doing?"

Sai walked away, wanting nothing more to do with this. Sam burst into laughter, as did I. Sasuke made a weird look, and looked down. "_Why the hell am I in a bikini?_" **(A/N: That was ALSO Sam's idea. -.-)**

I changed that back to normal, and tried another. Sam was still laughing, as now his hair was pink. "_Now _what?" he asked.

I giggled. "Look at your hair," I suggested.

He looked up, then shut his eyes tight. "Change it," he ordered.

I giggled, and did so, trying another. "You know what?" Sasuke said as his hair fell out all together. "I hate you."

I giggled. "I swear I didn't know it would do this," I said, and changed that back. I tried another, finding I had given him the plant-like extensions Zetsu had. **(A/N: Yet again, Sam. She can be… weird sometimes….)**

"What the hell are _these_?" he asked, poking one.

"Who knows?" I answered.

I changed that back, and tried another. Sasuke asked, "What did you–" he stopped, and blinked. "Oh. I can't _see_!"

Sam giggled, then I said, "Now you know how Itachi feels." I then changed that back to normal and tried an even smaller one. This was costing me a bit of chakra. He was staring at me, hearts as eyes. "Oh God," I said to myself, and ran, Sam laughing hard behind me.

* * *

"How about 'Attougan?'" Sam asked. "Attou means overpower, right?"

I shrugged, put my hands in a tiger position, said, "Attougan!" and shook my head when nothing happened.

"How about 'Seishigan?'" Sasuke asked sourly. "Seishi means control, and you sure as hell controlled me."

I tried that, and it didn't work either. I thought, trying to think of a good name. Luckily, after I had used it and relaxed, the eye thing turned off. Now we just had to figure out how to turn it _on_.

"Maybe 'Kawarigan?'" I suggested for my own question. "Kawari is change, and it definitely changed some things."

"_Hell _yeah it did!" Sasuke said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Kawarigan!" I said, forming the tiger hand sign. I felt a sting in my eyes, and a headache coming on. "Did it work?" I asked.

"Yup," Sam and Sasuke answered. I relaxed, and it turned off.

_Kawarigan it is, _I thought to myself. _And to think, I might be the first to have this new and strange ocular power.

* * *

_

Soo... Yeah... I hope you aren't too... disturbed and/or upset by that last part... but please don't blame me! *throws hands up in surrender* I didn't come up with it!

Well... I hope you like it anyway... hehe... ^-^' yeah...


	17. Part 9 Chapter 16

Part 9: Running away from it all

We had been called to meeting with the Hokage. Those asked to come were only me and Deidara - or Haru, as the Hokage thought. I sometimes wondered if he would ever get his identity back.

"There is something I'd like to present to you, Haru," Lady Tsunade said when we stood before her desk. She pulled out a drawer, reached inside, and pulled out a Leaf headband. She set it on her desk, for Deidara to simply stare at. "I heard you had no home village," Tsunade said. "You've been staying here awhile, and have shown your loyalty by simply helping prevent a massacre to the village."

_She must be talking about Madara and Pain, _I thought.

"So now," she continued, "I believe you are fit to be a citizen of the Leaf." He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Tsunade turned to me. "I trust my information is correct?"

I nodded. "I'm sure he greatly appreciates this great act of kindness," I replied with smile. "Haru" was an official member of Konohagakure now. _I wonder if he'd be a member if his name was still Deidara,_ I thought. _It _is _still Deidara _I corrected myself. _I__t's just that no one knows that._

I picked up his new headband, as his hands didn't seem to function right now, and led him out the door with a smile to Tsunade.

* * *

"You _do _know that you'll eventually have to tell who you are, right?" I asked Deidara.

"Yes, then they can skin me alive for lying to them. Hmm..."

"No. Now that you've proved yourself, you don't need that new identity."

"I lied, hm. They aren't going to let that go. I'm a rogue ninja from the Village Hidden in the Stones, not an innocent, 19-year-old boy who has no family or home to return to, yeah!"

"That may be true, but you had a reason for it. You were afraid, and I know you can admit that."

"How would _you _know I was scared, hm?"

"I can tell, I guess."

He sighed. "I think I'm going to go think this over..." He walked quickly away, headband in hand, heading for his originally temporary room. Now, it might be permanent.

* * *

I walked out of Sam's and my house - we still hadn't gotten another - to find Deidara, a backpack in tow. "Where are _you _off to?" I asked him.

"To have lunch with Hidan. Hmm..."

"Okay..." It was odd for him to do that, maybe something was wrong. "Have fun." But maybe he really _was _having lunch with Hidan, so I didn't bother him about it. What I didn't understand was the backpack.

"Bye," he said almost sadly with a small wave, not looking in my direction.

I _knew _something was wrong, though, when I met up with Hidan around dinner time. "Do you know where Haru is?" I asked. I had, after all, not seen him since I had talked to him earlier that day.

"How the hell should _I _know?" he asked. "I haven't seen him all day! How do you think I would know where he is?"

"Just asking," I muttered, walking away.

"Dumbass."

* * *

The first place I looked was Itachi's hospital room. Deidara had been trying to break the grudge he had for him for a while now, and had had short visits with him lately. "Hello Natalie," Itachi said, sitting up. Sam was nearby, sitting on her usual chair.

She greeted me with a "Hey, Natalie!" which was certainly more enthusiastic.

"Have you seen Haru?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

Sam's smile faded. "No, is something wrong?"

"He told me he'd have lunch with Hidan, but Hidan hasn't seen him all day. I was hoping I might find him here."

"I'll help look," she offered, getting to her feet. She smiled. "Besides, I think Itachi might be getting tired of me by now."

Itachi gave a sort of tired smile. "I need to rest anyway. Doctor's orders." He looked at me. "Samantha here can be a _little_ overprotective," he said in a stage whisper.

I forced a smile, and accepted Sam's offer. "Itachi's delirious, I swear," Sam said to me.

"He seems fine to me," I answered.

"He thought I was Sasuke earlier."

"Oh."

"I don't know if it's the sickness, or the medication..."

"It's probably both, combined with the fact that he's going blind."

"He is?"

"You didn't know that?"

"I _am _in the room," Itachi came in.

"Bye Itachi!" Sam said, walking out the door. I followed quickly behind.

* * *

The next place I checked was IchiRaku, which Sam had suggested. "Maybe he's having dinner," she had said.

Naruto was the only one eating there. "Naruto, have _you _seen Haru?" I asked.

He thought. "Uh... No, but I can help you look, if you want, once I finish my ramen."

"That would be appreciated," I answered.

He slurped the rest of his bowl down. "Okay!"

"...Why don't we split up?" Sam suggested. "Even if he _did _run off. He couldn't have gotten far. And besides, why would he leave the village in the first place?"

So we did.

* * *

I checked Itachi's room. Not only could Haru be there, but I wanted to make sure Itachi was okay. He had, after all, been delirious. "Neh-neh-neh-neh-neh-neh-_no_!" I said as I walked in, finding Itachi trying to poke Sasuke's forehead, which would kill him, as Natalie had said.

"My eyes... mine..." Itachi whispered, reaching forward.

"He's delirious, right? Tell me he's delirious," Sasuke said, taking a step back.

_Maybe he wasn't reaching for his forehead after all, _I thought. "Has Haru come by?" I asked.

"No," Sasuke answered, Itachi still reaching.

* * *

I headed for Deidara's room. It was probably the place he'd most likely be. I opened the door to his room. Everything was neat; the bed was made, there was no clutter. Atop the bed was a note. On the paper, scrawled and noticeably rushed, was the following:

_With these hands of uncertainty, I leave on the path of mercy, hoping to cross out what I've done. I don't deserve any citizenship of any kind. Don't give up on me yet, Natalie. I _will _be back, once I've forgiven myself in entirety. I just need time. I need to do this on my own, to break away. I need time to think. If I can't be myself yet, I can't be anyone at all._

_- Deidara _

Beside the note was his unworn Leaf headband, folded and neat like the day he first got it. All I could do was stare.

* * *

Natalie, Naruto, and I met by IchiRaku soon after. "He's not at the training field," Naruto said. "Did you check Itachi's hospital room?"

I nodded. "Twice, but no luck."

"You can check again if you want," Natalie said, "but I highly doubt he'll be there. He isn't even in the village anymore."

"How would you know that?" Naruto asked. "He can be anywhere."

Natalie shook her head. "He left a note. Check where you want in the village; I'm going to search outside the village walls."

"Okay," I said, "if you _want _to."

"I hope you find him!" Naruto called, already walking in the other direction. Natalie ran off, in the direction of the village gates.

* * *

I headed back to Itachi's room. I was really worried about him now. He really did seem out of it. I heaved a sigh as I walked into the hospital. I now knew that this wouldn't be his last time in a hospital bed. _Poor Itachi,_ I thought.

I walked into his room and stopped short, finding his bed empty, with the window wide open.

* * *

I had been searching for a few days now. I was, right then, leaning against a tree. "Ugh, I _really _wish that I were better at tracking," I complained, though there was no one around to hear it. I hadn't slept the night before, constantly searching, and now I was tired. That was why I was resting at the moment.

I let out a sigh, relaxing. I immediately took a sharp intake of breath straight after, as a crystal shard had just missed my head by mere millimeters. _Guren? _I guessed. But then, why would she attack? "Show yourself!" I called out.

I heard a snicker. "It's not like you can do anything to me," I heard. It was a girl's voice. "You're pretty impressive," she continued. "I can't so much as touch you with my _best _jutsu."

"Come out and show your face!"

Two black blurs jumped in front of me, one right after the other. I blinked at my predators. To my right was a girl. She had long, pink hair - very unlike Sakura's; it was even a deeper shade of pink - and green eyes. Her eyes, though, were the only real things I could see above her nose level. She had a mask covering the top part of her face, silver and sparkling with what seemed like jewels in the direct sunlight. She wore a robe of a very dark pink - almost red. She was smirking at me, her lips having red lipstick on.

Beside her, to my left, was a man. He was tan, about as tan as Kakuzu was, and had gray eyes. His hair went down to about an inch above his shoulders, and was a dark brown. He had a slightly large nose. He wore a long, gray, no-sleeve jacket which was about knee-length. He wore casual pants and a casual shirt, nothing special to look at. Both seemed around Itachi's age.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The girl laughed. "I was about to ask you the same!"

"I am Natalie. Now answer me, please. It would really be appreciated."

"My name is Tama. My friend here is Miki. You're in a pretty tough situation, now, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes I am. Two against one is an unfair advantage to most."

The man hadn't said anything yet. He seemed to be staring at my shoulder. I narrowed my eyes at him in confusion, finding he was staring at the star of the Riaru clan. I got to my feet. "Miki, was it?"

He snapped out of his gaze. "Oh, Miki," the girl named Tama sighed. "You are so _easily _amused."

_They don't believe I'm much of a threat to them_, I realized.

"Now, what were you interested in _this _time?" Tama asked.

"She's got the star," he said simply. His voice was gruff.

"Oh?" She looked.

"I am a proud member of the Riaru clan," I explained.

I couldn't continue, as Tama said before I could speak again, "Is that so?" She laughed, and partially took off her robe, revealing the shirt beneath... "So am I!" I stared at her very own star. "So that would explain why I couldn't use Kawarigan on you..."

"You have Kawarigan too?" I asked incredulously. "How did you get it? Have you figured anything out?"

She smirked, and turned to Miki. "Go fetch some firewood, please." He nodded, and rushed off. She turned back to me, sat down, and said, "You have any questions? Shoot."

I hesitantly sat down, facing her. "How did you get the Kawarigan?" was my first question.

"I really don't know. I risked my life for people, and now I've got it," she answered and shrugged.

"What does the Kawarigan... do?"

She heaved a sigh. "Jeez, you really are a newbie, huh?"

"Well I just got the Kawarigan."

"Hmph. Well, I'm sure you found you can change appearances and personalities, right?" I nodded, thinking of the many changes Sasuke went through. "Well, the power of the Riaru is that we control this world, just like Masashi, who has made an entire story of what's happening here. _Please _tell me you've heard of Masashi."

"Of course," I answered. "Masashi Kishimoto."

"Yup, that's the guy. So, you can change appearances, feelings, anything, but it only lasts temporarily. Maybe it only truly works if you're in the real world; who knows? But anyway, you can also tap in to those hidden cameras with Kawarigan, and see people you can't see. It would be like watching the actual... show."

I thought back to Maxey Island, thinking of the people who had lived there and had gone missing. First was Max, of course, who was... _Oh! That must be Mamoru's original name!_ Then was an infant named... - what was it? - ...Sophia! "Are you Sophia?" I asked.

"No," she said slowly. "My name is Tama. Sure, maybe that was my name in the real world, but I sure as hell don't remember it. In fact, I didn't even _know _I was from the real world until a stranger came up to me and _told_ me I was!"

"A stranger... Did you get his... or her name?"

"Yeah, but I certainly don't remember it!"

"Was it... was it Mamoru?"

She thought. "That sounds about right, I think. Did you know him?"

"Yeah. He... was my sensei."

"Oh? How is he, then? Have you kept in touch?"

"He's... uh... dead."

She blinked in surprise. "Oh." There was a short silence. "Any other questions?"

"...Is there anything I should know about the Riaru clan?"

She pursed her lips, thinking. "If you hang around a certain person, you become exactly like them," she said. "That, or you at least grow to be their age."

I thought about that. It made sense. I had, after all, begun to age quicker after I was forced to have Deidara as my partner. I'm sure that, now, Sam was going through the same thing. She _did _hang around Itachi often. "Anything else?" she asked.

I thought, just to be sure I had nothing else to ask. Certainly she wouldn't know how to get home. "No, I think that's all." As I spoke, Miki came back into our little clearing, carrying all the firewood we needed, maybe more. Only then did I realize it was getting dark. Maybe I was wrong about it being noon earlier, or maybe I had rested longer than I thought. I don't know.

"Camp out with us tonight," Tama suggested, though I probably couldn't make the choice on my own.

"Okay," I answered. I helped Miki set up the campfire, and we camped for the night. I was anxious to find Deidara, but I knew I needed to rest. So I made myself comfortable and settled down for the night.

* * *

I awoke to Tama's face right above mine. "Wake up!"

I immediately scrambled to my feet, embarrassed. I had obviously overslept. Miki was already cleaning up the sight, hiding and/or scattering any remnants of us being here. "So, sleepy head, we're going down to a small village nearby to scare. Wanna come along? It'll be fun!"

So Tama and Miki really _were _the bad guys, just like Mamoru had been. I wasn't really sure where Miki was from, but I would eventually figure it out... maybe. I guess Sam and I were lucky. "You know," I said, "not all people of the Riaru clan are bad."

"Oh really? Fine then. Miss out on the fun if you want."

I weighed my options. I should probably play it safe, and pretend I was a bad guy. "I didn't say _I _wasn't bad," I added.

She turned back to me and grinned. "So you're coming along?"

"Sorry, but no. I have a mission to attend to regarding the Akatsuki."

"You're on a mission against the Akatsuki? What, are you one of Orochimaru's subordinates, like Mamoru?"

I stiffened. "No, not at all. Orochimaru is dead, anyway. I'm actually_ in_ the Akatsuki." That wasn't a lie. Some still believed I was in the Akatsuki, especially since I still wore the ring. "See?" I held up my hand, showing the ring.

"Oh, I see. But how did Orochimaru die?"

"His ex-subordinate, Sasuke Uchiha, killed him."

She pursed her lips and nodded. "Got it. Thanks for the information. What's your mission, then?"

"Deidara has gone missing, and I need to find him. What's more, he's most likely in disguise."

"Try your Kawarigan," she suggested. "That should help. I'll see you around!" She waved, then turned away.

Miki soon followed behind her. "It was nice meeting you," he said. Miki was certainly a man of few words.

I did as Tama suggested, and activated my Kawarigan. I thought of Deidara, and an image almost immediately came into play before my eyes. There was Deidara, the same backpack upon his back, walking silently on a path through the forest. He kicked a stone, having no other way to amuse himself. He was probably bored, not knowing where he was heading at all.

He looked to the trees to his right when there was a sound. Birds flew off from where the sound came from. _Should I investigate or keep walking? _he wondered.

I sighed and let the vision go. It gave me one hell of a headache. _I wonder how Sam's doing, _I thought to myself. I knew I couldn't see her with my Kawarigan. So I decided to find Itachi instead, as Sam would most likely be near him.

When I got the picture, I found someone in the woods, coughing hard. Long ponytail... yup, that was Itachi. But why was he in the woods? Breathing hard, he lay on his back. None other than Deidara burst into the clearing, having had wondered what the sound was. He had his kunai drawn, just in case.

_What the hell is Itachi doing so far away from home?_ I thought. _Don't tell me _he _ran away _too_! _

"Jeez, Itachi!" Deidara said, putting his kunai away. "What the hell are _you _doing here?"

"Boy, am I glad to see you," Itachi answered with a smile.

Deidara heaved a sigh. "Okay... _Now _what do you expect me to do?"

Itachi held out a hand. "Help?" he suggested.

Deidara sighed yet again, and pulled Itachi to his feet. However, Itachi's legs collapsed, and Deidara nearly fell too at the sudden movement downward. He then took a deep breath and helped Itachi over to the nearest tree to lean against. Deidara hadn't completely gotten over that grudge, but he was obviously working on it.

Itachi's eyes then rolled back, and he slumped down, falling to the ground. Deidara blinked. He obviously had no idea whatsoever what to do now.

I stopped the vision there. The headache got worse and worse each second. By the time I turned my Kawarigan off, I could already feel the headache slowly subsiding. I got to my feet, and headed out to find the trail they were near.

* * *

It was still before noon, and the sun was behind him, so he was facing west. As long as I knew that, it would make things a little easier.

I soon found the trail, fortunately. I faced west, like Deidara had, and hoped I would soon find them, especially since Itachi wasn't in good shape at all.

"Now would be about the perfect time for Shadow Clones," I muttered to myself.

* * *

It was a bit past noon now, and I hadn't found them yet. I used my Kawarigan again, to see how they were doing. I didn't want Itachi to die. An image appeared, showing me that Itachi was still unconscious. Deidara had done his best, and had laid Itachi down over the grass, placing a blanket over him.

Now, though, Deidara sat, sitting against a tree, his chin resting on his gloved hand. He was bored, and didn't know what to do. He snapped out of his gaze at nothing when Itachi stirred. His glassy eyes opened, and looked at Deidara. "Nurse, I think I need my medication," he mumbled.

"Nurse? Medication?" Deidara asked, still not knowing what to do. "I've got neither of those."

Itachi breathed in the fresh air, oblivious to what Deidara had just said. "Excuse me, ma'am, your flowers smell lovely." There weren't many flowers around where they were...

Deidara's eye twitched ever so slightly. _Ma'am? _he thought angrily. Then he sighed. "Great. He's delirious. _Now _what do I do?" he muttered to himself.

"Hehe..." Itachi's eyes rolled back yet again, and he fell into slumber.

"I can't just leave him here," Deidara said to himself, and heaved another sigh. Two kunai were flung their way; one barely missing Deidara's ear, and the other skimming Itachi's nose. I left the vision just as Itachi's eyes shot open. They were being attacked. I don't know by who, but I needed to hurry.

* * *

I needed to go, _now_, and I needed to hurry. Who knew how Haru and Itachi were doing? Maybe Natalie had reached them by then, but it wasn't like I could tell. Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato were behind me. We had formed a search squad for the three. Lady Tsunade had considered Natalie missing, since she hadn't come back for a few days.

When we split up in the woods, I didn't even care when I saw Hidan, out of the corner of my eye, in curse mode, having the time of his life. Sure, it was breaking his promise, but my mind was one-track. I later felt guilty, but right then, I didn't care _who _Hidan was killing, as long as it wasn't Itachi. ...Or maybe Natalie, or anyone else I knew well. I'm not even quite sure who was killed. Poor person.

We soon met up, and Naruto sent out a hell of a lot of Shadow Clones, to help search. I just hoped we found them soon.

* * *

I immediately jumped into the clearing before me. "Natalie?" Deidara asked. "What are you _doing _here?"

"Right now, to save your butts." I looked at the attacker. His hair was the length of Miki's, but black with red fringes. His eyes were gray, and he wore... an Akatsuki cloak? I turned to Deidara. "Why didn't you just tell him you were from the Akatsuki?" I asked.

"I _tried_, but he won't believe me because I don't have a_ cloak_ with me! What's more, I can't find my ring, yeah!"

I sighed. "That's just great. None of us have our cloaks right now." (Too bad I forgot about the ring.) I turned to look at Itachi, who was struggling to get to his feet, using a tree as support. "Lay back down. You're not doing well enough to fight."

"I may not be able to think, but that doesn't mean I'm not able to fight," he answered.

"Actually, it means exactly that." I turned to our predator. "Who are you?" was the first question that came to mind, and I guess it _would _be good to know who was new in the Akatsuki.

"Yoshiaki; state your names."

I noticed that he didn't ask, he _ordered _us to tell. With a scowl, I thought. The Akatsuki was supposed to think that Itachi was dead. Deidara wasn't supposed to have cut his hair, either, so...

"I am Natalie," I stated, glaring at the man named Yoshiaki. I gestured to Itachi. "This is Isamu, and this" - I gestured to Deidara - "is Har–"

"No," Deidara came in.

_Huh, _I thought. _He was true to his word: if he can't be himself, he can't be anyone at all. _Yoshiaki waited for my answer. "This is Deidara," I said, though unsure about saying so. Isamu, however, I had come up with on the top of my head. I think Isamu means courage, so I guess it was kind of fitting after all.

"Isamu" collapsed. Okay, so this wasn't a very good situation. I was almost _positive _this would end badly. Sure, it was three against one, but Itachi couldn't fight, so we had to protect him; I was still low on chakra from the Kawarigan, and that wouldn't help; and Deidara couldn't use any of his jutsus without his hands, so...

I am _horrible _at remembering fights, as you have probably noticed in the previous battles. I am also bad at writing them in good detail. So, I'll just go on to say that we were tired and out of breath, while Yoshiaki seemed perfectly fine. Of course, he had a gash in his arm, but he didn't seem to care about it.

Yoshiaki rushed forward, aiming at Itachi. Deidara and I rushed at him from both sides, while Itachi prepared to attempt to protect himself. Yoshiaki had a sword of some sort drawn, and ready for attack. The blade was crimson, and shone in the light, as though it were actually covered in blood. I knew, though, that it wasn't. The only blood on it was our own, and it had been red before he had so much as attacked us.

I got in front of Itachi in a defensive position, holding a kunai. I knew, though, that I wouldn't be able to dodge unless I got out of the way. I couldn't do that, though, as that would leave Itachi to be mortally wounded. I _would _grab Itachi and jump out of the way, but I wasn't quite sure I _could _right then, and I wasn't going to take any chances. If it failed, we'd both go down.

Deidara, meanwhile, took a sharp turn, and tried getting Yoshiaki from behind. I prepared myself for the impact; I was sure to get hit, unless... As I thought of my plan someone jumped in front of me, to be stabbed straight through. "Tama?" I cried.

* * *

Starting now, I'm going to try and update every Saturday. Frankly, the chapters I put up here are starting to catch up with the one's I've written. So... yeah. I'll put up sooner one's if something special happens though! :D

Oh, and Sam says thanks to the people who reviewed and said they liked the changes she came up with. :)


	18. Part 9 Chapter 17

"Tama?" I cried.

Yoshiaki jumped back, taking the sword roughly along with him. I caught her as she fell. "Tama, what are you doing here? I thought you said you were going off to scare a village!"

She chuckled, a few lines of blood already dribbling from her mouth to her chin. "I was worried about you." I knew there had to be a story behind this; maybe Miki had told her to help or something. But... Miki never spoke his opinion. I shook the anxiety off and glared at Yoshiaki. He didn't respond, but instead simply melted away.

Tama had been stabbed right below the heart, a fatal wound. Even when I first met her, she didn't strike me as someone who would sacrifice her life for anyone. Miki burst into the clearing right then, and stopped short when he saw Tama. He walked up to me, and asked, "May I...?" I handed her over and he sat down with her lying limp in his lap.

"Ugh...," said Deidara, rolling his eyes.

"I think it's sweet," Itachi said, speaking his own opinion.

I knew there had to be something I missed. Tama and Miki had a story, just like everyone else did. Still, because I didn't know that story, this happening seemed really out of place. "Who are they?" Deidara asked in my ear.

"Tama and Miki. Tama is one of the Riaru clan."

"That's interesting. Hmm..."

I looked back to the mysterious pair. Tears were streaming down Miki's face, like mini waterfalls. "Don't leave me, Tama!" he cried. I knew this was supposed to be a sad, traumatic moment, which it was, but it _still_ seemed out of place. I needed to know their story, as well as what happened after I met them, to make sense of things. If I were _watching _the show, everything would be understood….

She smiled. "Tama, don't!" he cried in vain. "I... I love you!" Woah. Didn't see that one coming.

Her eyes began to droop. "Miki... You _know _I can't stay long. I... love you too. I'm not afraid of death... So... goodbye Miki..." She sighed, letting out that last breath that so many people fear.

* * *

"I found them!" Naruto said in excitement. I sighed in relief. We veered to the right, and soon met a clearing that five figures inhabited. Three of these figures were recognizable. We burst into the clearing, earning smiles from Natalie and Itachi, a gulp from Haru, and a curious look from a man. There was a sleeping girl as well, but she didn't so much as stir when we arrived.

"Oh!" Natalie said. "Guys, this is Miki. Miki, this is Samantha, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato." The man now known as Miki gave a little wave.

"What about her?" Naruto asked, gesturing to the sleeping girl.

Miki bit his lip, and Natalie replied with, "Her name is Tama. She was... lost in battle."

Now that I thought about it, I didn't feel her chakra. "Oh," Naruto said apologetically.

"Tama is from the Riaru clan?" Sam asked in surprise. All of us were sitting in one room, in the wooden house that Yamato had made.

I nodded, and looked to Miki. "Would you mind telling us your... story?"

Miki stood, got to the front of the room, and sat down. "I'll start from the very beginning…. …I was playing in the woods when I heard a baby's cries," he began. "I was around five years old at the time. I loved to play in the woods, so it was normal for me to be out there. I cared for her secretly, sneaking her food, and a blanket; anything she needed. I wouldn't dare take her back to the village, afraid they'd reject her, and refuse to care for her.

"She grew surprisingly quick, seeming my age after only a few weeks. Her hair was dark brown, had gray eyes, looked exactly like me, but as a girl. She even acted the same. I didn't know what her name was, and neither did she, so I called her Mika. Not very creative, I know, but I was never good with names. We played together almost constantly. I even asked to camp out in the woods, whenever my parents let me. We are... were the best of friends.

"One morning, though, when I came out of the woods, I found my village in ruins. Tama peeped out, and saw the horror of it all, technically only a few months old. I collapsed, and bawled my heart out. Tama silently tried to comfort me. We soon set out to search for any survivors, finding that there weren't very many bodies. After a month of searching we found one of my clan. He told us that those that could get away were scattered, then soon dropped dead.

"After years of useless wandering, we came to scavenging for food. We became lost in more ways than one. We soon met up with a man named Mamoru, who took interest in Tama. He told her she was a part of the Riaru clan, which we had never heard of. He told her she came from the real world, indicating the star of the Riaru clan. Then, he trained her, teaching her the ways of the Riaru.

"For a while, I felt left out, but before I knew it, her training was brought to a close, Mamoru saying that he had to go back to 'Lord Orochimaru.' By then, Tama had pink hair, and her original green eyes. As Mamoru said, she could be herself again. She grinned at me. 'From now on, I want to be known as Tama, as a jewel,' she told me. I agreed to her request, and from then on she was known as Tama.

"She chose what she looked like, even choosing the pink hair. She chose the pink to match her crystals, she once told me. One day, a few years later, she turned to me, grinned, and said, 'Let's have some _real _fun.' When I questioned what she meant, she told me about how she had a mischievous side, and then we became the average criminals; nothing big. I never really liked this, but I allowed Tama to lead me. She was my only friend.

"She had some followers, but one day we were attacked. Tama risked her life for them, nearly dying in the process. This earned Tama her Kawarigan. Unfortunately, the others didn't survive the injuries because I didn't know how to treat them." I could tell he still regretted that fact. "Tama and I were the only ones to survive. After that, Tama hardened her heart a little bit, believing her comrades had died in vain.

"After a few years of living like that, we met up with Natalie. Tama taught her a few things, and we were on our way to a new village. Tama, however, had a feeling that something was wrong. She activated her Kawarigan, looked up the person Natalie was looking for, and found that they were being attacked by an Akatsuki member. I knew from the start that Natalie wasn't a bad person, as she claimed.

"Tama changed right then, and, even after swearing to herself she would never risk her life for anyone but me, she rushed in the direction they were, me following behind. In the end, I confessed my love for her, begging her not to leave... and she said that he loved me too... Then... it was over... Her story has come to an end..." He bit his lip, restraining tears.

_I never knew someone so quiet could tell a story so well, _I thought to myself.

Miki got to his feet, walked over to our group, and sat down. I smiled at him and put my hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. I turned to Deidara. "Haru," I said, "it's your turn to tell."

He took a deep breath and walked to the front of the room. _Haru? _Miki wondered, having had already known his name was Deidara.

Everyone waited for what Deidara had to say. "My name isn't Haru, hm...," he began. "It's..." - he took off one of his gloves - "...Deidara." As if on cue, the mouth opened, the tongue lolling out at the freedom of no longer being restrained by the thin, tight glove.

Everyone just sort of looked at him, then looked at me as if to ask, "Are you _crazy_?"

"It's okay," I said. "If he were still a bad guy, don't you think he would have tried to kill you by now, or kidnap Naruto?" I paused. "Pain was put on the right path, and so was he," I said, gesturing to him. "He was just afraid to admit who he was, until now."

"So..." Sam said, "...Haru is actually... Deidara?"

"Guys, hm, I guess I have to thank you for being my friends. Hmm...," Deidara came in.

Sam got up, cleared her throat, and rushed up to hug him. "Welcome to the club!" she said happily.

* * *

I walked into the main room we were in earlier to find Samantha fighting with Sasuke. "_Admit _it!" she yelled in a whisper. "You still hate Itachi, and I know it!"

"No, I don't! I _swear_!"

"Sure," she said with sarcasm. Itachi, meanwhile was lying on the ground next to them, trying to sleep. Poor Itachi.

"I swear... on my clan's grave!"

_That's a real swear for him, _I thought.

Sam glared at him. "I still don't trust you, and I don't think I ever will!" Sasuke blinked. "Now, if _you _don't mind,_ I_ am going to bed!" She walked away, brushing past me.

I walked into the room, watching Sasuke sit on the ground and lean against the wall. He sighed, as though he were tired too.

Itachi and I looked at one another, then back to Sasuke and grinned. "You like Sam, don't you?" we asked in unison.

He looked at us, and blinked. Then he put his face in his hands. "Maybe," was the muffled answer.

"I think you know the answer; is it yes or no?" Itachi chided. His answer to that was so muffled that neither of us understood what he said.

"What?" I asked, already knowing the answer. I just wanted to hear him say it aloud.

He sighed, and looked up. "Yes," he said, "but if you tell _anyone_..." He let the threat hang in the air.

I grinned mischievously. "I won't tell," I said.

"The secret's safe with me," Itachi said.

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to sleep," he muttered, and went off up the stairs.

* * *

We had to stay another day at the wooden house, as Itachi wanted to run on his own, not be carried, and he couldn't do that quite yet. Luckily, his health was improving. So, it soon became evening, and the sun was starting to set. Sam pulled me off to the side.

"You like Deidara, don't you?" she whispered.

_Where the hell did _that _come from? _"Sam, he's _nineteen_, remember?" I answered.

"Yeah, but you know what Miki said. You grow to be the age of the person you hang around most. So... wouldn't you actually be nineteen?"

I stared at her in disbelief. "Even if I _were _his age, Deidara's only true love is his art. You should know that!"

She smirked. "You said it yourself: he's changed."

"What of Naruto?" I asked.

"Don't lie to yourself," she said simply. "Naruto is only a friend to you now; I can tell. You have to admit it _sometime_." And with that, she walked away. I rolled my eyes, shook my head, and walked in the opposite direction.

* * *

It was night now, and I needed to question Deidara at what convinced him to leave. I left the questioning of Itachi to Sam. "Deidara!" I yelled in a whisper, finding him in the main room.

"Yeah?" he answered quietly, turning to me. Itachi was in his corner, asleep.

"What the _hell_ convinced you to run away?"

"I thought I needed some time alone, to think, hm."

"Don't _ever _run away _again_! Not only did you have me worried _sick_, you _also _somehow convinced _Itachi _to follow you!" I scolded. "He's in _horrible _shape, if you haven't noticed! He could have _died_! I know that part's not your fault, but you shouldn't run away like that! You could have at least told me... I was–" I was cut off, as Deidara had suddenly leaned forward to kiss me. What… the hell? What was with the turns of events the past two days? Tama sacrificing herself, Sam asking a random question, and now this!

He pulled back. I stared at him, wide-eyed and silent. He turned sheepish. "I'm sorry. I... don't know what I was thinking," he said. "I didn't mean–"

This time, _he _was cut off, as _I _had leaned forward. At first he was surprised, but soon relaxed, and began kissing back. Like my first kiss, it all came naturally. Sam was right. Naruto and I _had _drifted too far apart. I was wrong. Every first kiss seemed right at first, didn't it? I just found it unbelievable that I went from despising him and wanting him dead to _this_. Well what do you know, _another _twist. We pulled back and looked at one another, staring in to each other's eyes. Someone chuckled off to the side.

We turned to find Itachi, awake, smiling at us. "Aw, come on!" I cried, still in a whisper.

Itachi chuckled, again. "You two are nice couple, if you think about it," he said quietly.

I facepalmed, and Deidara had an anime vein show on his head. He chuckled yet again, and laid back down to sleep. Deidara and I soon went our separate halls to sleep as well, Deidara muttering something under his breath. I think I caught "damned Uchiha" somewhere in there.

* * *

Hop... hop... hop. Hopping from tree to tree. It sounds boring, but it's actually fun, if you can do it. It was almost like flying. I've always liked the wind, and used to wonder what it was like to fly. Now I felt as if I already knew.

I occasionally glanced off to the side, looking at some of the scenery, but, really, there was scenery in just looking ahead. And when I watch scenery pass, I think, and when I think, I daydream. These daydreams led me home. Home. The place I knew for the first twelve years of my life. Home. Gone.

I then realized that we hadn't really been even attempting to go home. We were running away from it all. We didn't want to even think of home, because it made us home_sick_. And when we were homesick, we were sad. And sadness is never enjoyable. Not only that, but we had made friends here. We were busy, and it seemed as though _this _was our home. Maybe this was one of the reasons Mamoru and Tama never made it back.

"Sam," I said, talking to the friend who, even now, was my best friend.

"Hmm?" she answered absently, watching Itachi's every move, making sure he didn't lose his footing.

"We need to find a way home." She looked at me. "_Soon_."


	19. Part 10 Chapter 18

Wow, I'm already on the last part! I guess I really DID make the story go too fast...

Anyway, DOUBLE UPDATE! :D And you wanna know why? (dramatic pause) I finished typing the story! ... *ahem* That's a good accomplishment on my part anyway...

Hope you like it!

* * *

Part 10: The Final Battle

Sam explained to me about the hidden cameras.

Itachi was soon put back in the hospital.

Miki came to living in the Leaf.

Summer came.

Life went on.

I banged my head against the table. I _hated _researching things when I didn't know exactly where to find the information. "Frustrated?" Sam asked in a tired tone.

"Yep," I said into the wood.

She picked my head up. "You _are _the smart one. Why don't you try just thinking a theory up?"

"Fine," I muttered, and leaned back in my chair. We were in the library, trying to figure out a way home. I racked my brain, trying to put everything in place. _Let's see... The island, there was something about the island that was special. It took us here, right? So... Let me think..._

"Is it working?" Sam asked.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Not if you interrupt." She shut up after that.

_Let's backtrack a bit. We left home, and got to Maxey Island, which already had two children go missing: Mamoru and Tama. Huh, that means Sam and I are the only ones from the Riaru Clan left, unless others came after us..._

_Whoops, off track. _Sometimes when I tried to focus, I ended up letting my mind wander instead. _Might have been able to contact the Naruto world through messages in a bottle... Then, during the Naruto: Shippuden marathon, we fell asleep with it on. Maybe that's how you get here and back!_

_Oh wait... There are no TV's here... And I don't think either Mamoru or Tama even _knew_ about Naruto when they disappeared here. So that's not it... Ugh, there's nothing else I can think of! _I looked to Sam with a sad face and shrugged. "I've got nothing."

* * *

"What do you _mean_ Hidan performed a ritual?" I asked Sam angrily. "You mean to say he broke his _deal_?"

"Yup. I mean exactly that," she answered.

"Well then, if he isn't keeping _his_ promise, then I apparently can't keep _mine_!" I stalked off, aiming for Hidan's house.

When I got there, I barged in, only to find he wasn't there. I instead grabbed his scythe and ran out the door. "Oh _Hidan_~!" I called, sounding sweet and innocent. "Where _are_~ you~?" I ran down the street when I saw him coming.

"What the f**k do you want?" he asked in a tired tone. Then he saw what I was holding, and eyed his precious scythe.

"I heard you performed a _ritual _the other day," I said sweetly, with an innocent little smile on my lips.

"_Hell _yeah I did! And I don't freakin' _care_ about our f**king _deal_, either!"

"Oh?" I asked politely, then gave a mischievous little grin. "Well then I suppose it's only fair if I break my half, huh?"

I raised the scythe, a grin plastered on my face and an insane glint in my eye. Oh, this _was_ fun, especially since he was immortal! "What the hell are you–?" He was cut off when I swung the scythe in a wide arc and sliced his head off neatly. His body fell to its knees, then to the ground. "_What the f**k was THAT for?_" his head screamed from the ground.

I gave a satisfied grin. "You break _your _promise, I break mine," I said matter-of-factly.

"I should have run off from this damned place right away!" he spat. "Maybe I'll go to..." - he paused to think - "...the Land of Waves, or... anywhere but here!"

"The Land of Waves...," I murmured as it began to jog my memory.

"F**k yeah! The Land of f**kin' Waves is better than this damned dump you call a home!"

"The Land of Waves... The Land of Waves. The Land of _Waves_!" I cried excitedly, figuring something very important out.

"What the f**k is wrong with you?" he asked. I discarded his scythe and left him there (he was tended to soon after). I ran to Sam's and my house, and into my room to grab the notes we had gotten in a bottle almost exactly three years before. I looked at one in particular:

_Samantha – _

_Okay then_…._ No, I don't live by the beach. I'm just visiting the Land of Waves. I'm leaving tomorrow, so I guess this is good-bye. I'm not good at this kind of stuff, so I'll just leave it at that._

_~ Naruto Uzumaki_

I grinned. "The Land of Waves and Maxey Island are _connected_!" I said to myself. Then, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time: the wonderful feeling of hyper-ness.

* * *

"Zoh my God, Sam guess what?" Natalie asked me, shaking with excitement.

I didn't feel like guessing. "What?" I asked.

"I found a way _home_~!"

"You did?"

"_Moo_!"

"I'll take that as a yes... Oh wait. Oh God your hyper, aren't you?"

"Yep-er-_dooooo_!" she said happily, jumping into the air and doing a flip. "Ya know," she began, "IHaven''veAlwaysWantedTo_Do_!"

"Uh…huh." I answered.

"_Pizza pie_!" she squealed. "It's a pizza, and a pie; at the _SAME TIME_."

"Yep," I replied.

"Now I'm craving cheesecake!" she cried. "I haven't had cheesecake in over _three years_, man! Do you know how _horrible _that is?"

"Uh-huh."

"Is she okay, hm?" Deidara asked, just coming towards the house.

"Nope, but she never is," I answered.

"Oh _HI _Deidara-kun~!" she squealed and glomped him. I laughed at the look on Deidara's face as she hung on his neck.

"Is she high?" he asked, pointing to his personal leech.

I couldn't help but laugh even harder. "No, she's just... excited!" I said between laughs.

"What the hell is she excited about, hm?" he asked, trying to push her off gently.

My eyes brightened at the thought. "She figured out a way home!"

"That's great, yeah! …Now get her off."

Natalie let go, and stood there a moment, staring wide-eyed at nothing. "And as the wind passes us by, as does the time, quicker than we could ever think."

"…What?" I ask.

"I dunno!" she answered enthusiastically.

"What... happened?" Sasuke asked, coming around the corner.

"I'm _hyper_!" Natalie answered excitedly.

"How do you make her stop?" Deidara asked, an annoyed look as his expression.

I thought, as Natalie looked at me in anticipation, having an insane glint in her eye. "Kenny threw her into the wall...," I began. Without a word, Sasuke grabbed Natalie's arms, swung her around, and flung her into the wall nearest us. I facepalmed. "I didn't say to actually _do_ it. I remember now that Natalie was _crazed_, not hyper, when he flung her into the wall." I looked thoughtfully to the sky. "It still might have worked though..."

"...Natalie, you okay, hm?" Deidara called.

She responded with an, "Ow," but soon appeared right behind Deidara and hugged him again.

"Are you still hyper, hm?" he asked, annoyed.

"Nah, I just like you," she answered with a grin.

* * *

"You see, the Land of Waves and Maxey Island are connected somehow!" I said happily, proud at myself for being the one to figure it out. I was explaining to Sam - along with Deidara and Sasuke since they were here - my realization on how to get back, unaware that someone else was listening. "So we probably just sleep there overnight or something like that and we make it back!"

"I'm not sure I should ask, hm... but what does it mean when you're 'crazed?'" Deidara asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"Well that was random," Sam said.

I laughed. "Yep, it _was_ off-topic." I paused. "...When I'm _crazed_, I hear voices in my head and end up wanting to hurt the person I'm with at the time. Hehe, poor Kenny. Well, he _was _a hell of a lot stronger than me. Either way, I'm still glad he threw me into the wall..."

Sam shrugged. "You're weird," she said. "No changing that."

I laughed. "Yup!"

_Time for a meeting, _Pain said within my mind.

I straightened my posture. "Meeting time!" Then I rushed off to my room, Deidara simply going to the corner, rolling his eyes.

"They're still in the Akatsuki?" I heard Sasuke ask on my way. I left Sam to explain that.

I was soon a hologram in an Akatsuki hideout. I appeared along with Deidara, Madara/Tobi, Pain, Kisame, Zetsu, and Yoshiaki. Konan wasn't here for the meeting. "First," Pain began, "there is a new member. Because Natalie needs no more training, the new member, Yoshiaki, will be her partner." I shot Yoshiaki a glance, still angered at the fact that he almost killed me, and _had _killed Tama. He looked at Pain, face emotionless, seeming unaware of my gaze.

"There are also other announcements to be made," Pain continued. I turned to look at him again. "Tobi?"

"Yay!" "Tobi" said excitedly. "It's Tobi's turn!" He paused. "No more secrets," he said in a much lower voice, hand reaching for his mask. Deidara tensed. He slowly took it off, and I saw his face for the first time. It looked… old. Yep, that just about sums it up.

"So it's _you_!" Kisame said. "Who would've thought that you were Tobi?" He shook his head.

Yoshiaki and Pain were silent. Madara put the mask back on, and Deidara said, "So what, hm? You're an old guy who acts like a five year old? Amazing, yeah." I thought it was smart that he acted dumb. …Heh, that sentence is almost confusing.

"I am Madara Uchiha, the true leader of the Akatsuki."

I'm sure Deidara would have said something more if he hadn't known he was the new leader. He stayed quiet after he knew, though. "Wouldn't it have been better if you told us all in person?" I asked. "After all, you _can _teleport, can't you?"

"It isn't necessary," he said coldly.

I narrowed my eyes. "Now, there is an announcement of my own that I would like to add," Pain said, and I looked to him. "I will be leaving the Akatsuki, as will Konan. I want nothing more to do with it." I smiled. "I know you may think it is because I'm not leader anymore, but I am actually now against Akatsuki's purposes."

There was a short silence, and I smiled. "I quit too. Because Pain was the one who made the deal, that deal is now null and void. I'm free!" I looked to Deidara expectantly.

Everyone but Yoshiaki and I seemed surprised when half of Deidara's hair disappeared as he said, "I'm out too, hm!" He looked to Madara. "So long, bastard!" He then disappeared. I disappeared soon after, smiling at Madara in satisfaction.

* * *

The Raikage called a meeting of the Kages. I knew the exact reason why, too. Since Sasuke couldn't have done it… either Kisame or Yoshiaki had supposedly kidnapped Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails jinchuriki. Most likely Yoshiaki, since he was new…. "Sam, we need to follow behind," I said to her.

She blinked. "Why?"

"You'll find out soon enough, if my suspicions are correct."

"So are you suggesting just me and you follow behind?"

"Actually…. Sasuke and Naruto can come along. And Sakura."

"Sasuke?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Yep," I answered. "In fact, all of Hebi can come along."

She sighed. "Fine, jeez."

* * *

"Think of it as your last mission as Hebi," I said.

Suigetsu sighed. "Fine, jeez." I snickered at Sam and Suigetsu's similar answers.

Sam shot me a glare. "Make no comment," she muttered. Suigetsu was the only one to object to my proposition in Hebi. Sasuke had already agreed, as had Naruto. Sakura, however, had decided not to come.

Karin hmph'd, while Juugo smiled at Suigetsu for agreeing. I couldn't help but smile too.

* * *

Yep. I knew it. There's Madara going on about his Moon's Eye Plan. He made an offer, but the Kages didn't take it. Then, of _course_, he declared the Fourth Ninja World War. Wonderful.

…Please note the sarcasm.

"…What are we doing here again?" Sam asked me. I giggled, as Suigetsu had his mouth open, most likely about to ask the same thing. He scowled.

Then, "I was going to warn Tsunade, but now it's too late. We might as well head back now." Naruto, Sam, and Suigetsu sighed.

"Why did you take us along, exactly?" Suigetsu asked, annoyed.

I shrugged. "I thought that maybe Sasuke could exact his revenge against Madara or something, but that doesn't seem possible."

"Shouldn't you have brought Deidara along too then?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

I looked up. "Oh _yeah_…. Oops." Sam and Suigetsu rolled their eyes. "You two are like twins," I chuckled. They narrowed their eyes in reply.

So, we began walking through the woods. Sam, Suigetsu, Karin, and Sasuke were in the back, Sam only partially having fun because Suigetsu was there. She hated both Karin and Sasuke, after all. Juugo and Naruto were conversing as well, though Naruto did most of the talking. I smiled to myself as I walked.

I was enjoying myself. I smiled at the scenery of the woods, though it was mostly flat-looking trees. I knew, however, that they had depth just like any three-dimensional tree. Plus, It was especially pretty with the snow blanketing everything. I took a breath of the fresh air. It felt so good, so _clean_. Wow, I had almost forgotten how clean the air was here compared to back Home. Home…. I sighed, and listened to the birds. _I'll be Home soon, _I thought to myself. _Soon._

I was smiling at this thought, when Juugo brought me out of it. "Um, Natalie?" he asked.

I turned. "Yes?" Naruto pointed behind him. Sasuke, Karin, Suigetsu, and Sam were gone.

Juugo's eyes widened, and black crawled up his neck. "I need to… _kill_."

I blinked. "Well… crap."

* * *

"A cockatoo?" Suigetsu laughed. "I can see the resemblance!"

"Or a duck butt," I added, giggling. I was explaining what Sasuke's hair-do looked like to us Riaru people. Natalie and I weren't the one's to come up with it, but it was still hilarious.

"Stop talking about Sasuke like he isn't here!" Karin said angrily.

Suigetsu and I laughed. Sasuke stayed silent. Karin fumed. Vines grabbed us from behind.

…Wait what the hell?

I struggled to break free of the vines as Juugo, Naruto, and Natalie continued on. I was about to yell for help, but a vine wrapped around my mouth. "_Mmmmmmhmmmphmmhmmmm!_" I yelled. _Well _that_ didn't work, _I thought.

Once Natalie and the others were out of sight – and normal hearing range – the vines let go. I breathed deeply. It was hard to breath with the vines around me like that. "What the hell just happened?" I asked.

Karin had already closed her eyes. "One person, and he's right behind us," she said. I wheeled around, finding a swirly orange mask right in my face.

"_Holy_—!" Madara clamped his gloved hand over my mouth to keep me from yelling.

"All I want is to talk."

* * *

Naruto rubbed his head. "Ow…," he said quietly. Juugo had, after all, slammed him into a tree, head-first. I inched toward Juugo, hoping I could save the day. I was feeling a bit confident…. I was confident I could do anything, but I was still tense and scared. This happened sometimes. Although, I was usually _over_confident when this happened.

"Juugo…," I said cautiously. "Stop…. You need to find it in yourself to—_Ack_!" His hand closed around my neck, shoving me into a tree. Ow. _Okay…. I'm _not _invincible. …Wow. I'm dumb. _See? It almost always ends badly.

Juugo's grip tightened, an insane glint in his eye. _Jeez, I hope I don't die.

* * *

_

I narrowed my eyes at him. I would _so _lick his hand if he weren't wearing gloves. He let go quickly though when Sasuke aimed a kunai at his arm. He instead caught it, then used it to hold off Sasuke's sword. ** (A/N: Hehe…. It's Sasuke's Super Secret Sword! :D …Okay. Sorry. Moving on.)**

"I don't have any intent to fight you," Madara said, still barring Sasuke's sword off with the kunai. Sasuke's expression was suspicious, but he slowly sheathed his sword, still on guard. Madara dropped the kunai. "In fact, all I want is to speak with you, Sasuke."

"Sasuke!" Karin cried as he was sucked into some parallel universe to be talked to.

"No way! I heard what Natalie said!" I yelled and grabbed Sasuke's leg. It slipped through my fingers like butter. Crap. Then Madara sucked himself in, leaving me, Suigetsu, and Karin alone.

* * *

"Rasengan!"

"No…. Don't… hurt him," I said, or basically squeaked. I was getting dizzy from lack of blood flow to the head. And oxygen. I kinda needed oxygen. Obviously.

Juugo's grip tightened and I grimaced in pain. Juugo grinned. He put his free hand into a fist and punched me hard in the stomach. I couldn't cough. I couldn't breath. Stars began crawling like bugs over my sight; fireflies. Then black spots, big bugs; cockroaches, maybe? I blinked, fighting hard to stay conscious.

The Rasengan was shoved into Juugo's side anyway, just as he was about to punch me again, and he let go, falling to the ground. I gasped at the air, still fighting to stay conscious. I rubbed my neck. Ow. Juugo growled and got up. Huh. I guess I forgot that the gray skin acted as armor. _Right…._

Then the curse mark began retreating, thankfully. "Huh…?" Juugo looked at us with wide eyes. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I—!"

"No…. It's alright," I said with a smile. "…It wasn't your fault."

* * *

I sat on a rock. Does that sound boring to you? Well, it was. Suigetsu was sitting on a rock as well, drawing random lines in the dirt with a stick. Karin was standing, waiting for Sasuke to come back. Ugh, stupid Madara….

I gazed absently at a nearby tree. I just sorta looked at the bark. _Ooh, swirly,_ I thought as the bark swirled. Then I realized that tree bark wasn't supposed to swirl. I stood immediately. Suigetsu stayed seated, but let go of his stick and put his hand on the hilt of his sword. Madara appeared first, then Sasuke soon after. The energy built up, and I tried punching Madara in the stomach with a shout of anger; the face, after all, was out of the question.

I slipped through him, and broke down the tree. Weak tree. "Sorry tree," I said. I wheeled around and glared at Madara.

"Farewell, I have one other person I'd like to converse with," he said, and simply disappeared with a wave of his hand.

Okay…. Now to find Natalie. I turned. Wait. Sasuke. I needed make sure Sasuke was fine. Yeah…. Stupid Madara….

* * *

I heaved a sigh, happy that Juugo was back to normal. I had caught my breath, mostly, and hadn't passed out, although I knew I would most likely have bruises on my neck. "Natalie, look out behind you!" Juugo called.

I wheeled around. "_Holy crap_ Sharingan!" I say immediately.

"Shut up," Sasuke replied, stepping through the brush and into the clearing.

"Oh… sorry Sasuke," I said sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. Karin came out next, followed by Sam and Suigetsu. I turned around, eyes closed, grinning. "Well then, off we go!" I opened my eyes so I could see where I was going and not run into a tree or something like that. "Crap."

"Aw, I was hoping not to see you again today…," Sam whined.

"So… you really _did _convince Nagato to join your side," Madara said to Naruto.

I cocked my head and smiled. "Yes. Yes he did, dear Maddie."

His visible eye narrowed and I smiled wider. "You're an… interesting one."

"Why thank you, Sir Lollipop!"

His visible eye went from narrowing at me to full out glaring at me. "I have a message for you to relay to the Hokage for me."

"She won't do what you say!" Sam argued.

I held up a hand to stop her from continuing. "What is the message?" I asked, now a bit more serious.

"I'll be waiting for you in the Land of Waves. That will be our battlefield." He began to swirl away as my eyes widened at the fact that he knew we'd go there. "It would be smart of you to train before you come, two weeks from now. I like worthy opponents." And with those as his last words, he left.

* * *

Day 1

"So you're telling me fourteen days from now there will be a battle in the Land of Waves?" Tsunade asked, leaning toward us in her chair. Our "little" group included Me, Sam, Sasuke and Hebi, Naruto, and Kakashi, who joined us not long earlier. Tsunade, thankfully, wasn't in a coma.

"Correct," I replied.

She leaned back, putting her hand to her chin in thought. After a moment or two, she straightened up. "Kakashi." He blinked to show he was listening. "Make sure Samantha is trained well." She turned to Sam. "Understood?" Both Kakashi and Sam nodded. "Natalie. Try to master your Kawarigan. Miki may be able to help." I nodded. She turned to Hebi. "Will you join Samantha and Natalie in their fight to get home?"

"I will," Sasuke said flatly.

"Me too!" Karin immediately agreed. Sam rolled her eyes.

"I'll go where Sasuke goes," Juugo said quietly.

Suigetsu hesitated. "…Eh, I'll go. Maybe I'll get a chance to beat Kisame-senpai," he eventually answered with a smirk.

"Well then, you might as well train as well. It would be wise. And Naruto, tell Sakura and Yasuko to come see me."

"Anything else I can do?" the hyperactive ninja asked, eyes hopeful.

"You will be training with Kakashi and Yamato, as before."

"I thought I was training with Kakashi," Sam came in.

"No. I said for Kakashi to make sure you were well trained, meaning he will figure your element, and hand you over to a shinobi more experienced than you with that nature affinity."

"…Oh," Sam answered. "That makes sense."

Tsunade nodded. "Any other questions?" Silence. "Then you are dismissed!"

* * *

"Oh, hi Natalie!" Miki said when he answered the door. He had his own house now.

I smiled. "Hey Miki! Hey, can I ask you something?"

He nodded. "Sure, come on in!" he answered warmly.

I gave him another smile and followed him into his new home. It was plain; not much decoration. After all, he had moved in not long before. He didn't have much with him either when he moved in, so he really didn't have anything other than himself and the clothes on his back. He gestured for me to follow him to another room, where we sat down on new comfy chairs opposite each other that he had just got.

"What did you want to ask?" he asked.

I thought a moment on how to word this. "…How did…? Wait…. Yeah. How did Tama master her Kawarigan? I mean, what exactly did she _do_ to train?"

He looked to the ground in thought. "She… She used to hide in the bushes by the road, and transformed into those who went by. She'd be able to act like them too, even though she didn't know them. She'd also change the people, though the changes would never last long. …That's all I really know, sorry."

I smiled. "That's perfect."

* * *

"Okay, now focus your chakra into the paper," Kakashi said to me.

Naruto sat nearby, Yamato explaining things to him. I did as Kakashi told me to do, flowing my chakra into the special paper. It scared me a bit when it suddenly burst into flames, then turned to ash in my hand. I blinked. "So… I'm fire?" I asked, looking at Kakashi.

"Yup! Congratulations, your trainer is Sasuke!"

I stared at Kakashi a moment. "…What?"

He opened his visible eye. "Sasuke will now be your sensei. I had already decided that he would if your affinity was fire."

"…Who would my sensei be if I was another affinity?"

"If you were wind, you would work with Naruto. Lightning would also end as Sasuke. Deidara would most likely teach you if you were earth, and if you were water, you would most likely learn under Suigetsu, which would also ultimately leave you with Sasuke."

I sighed. "Wonderful."

* * *

"Okay, let's see here…." I said to myself, sitting in front of Deidara's closed door. I closed my eyes, holding up a hand sign. _Kawarigan!_ I thought, eyes shooting open. I closed my eyes again, concentrating on Deidara, who was on the other side of the door. I wasn't trying to change him right now. No… I was trying to change my_self_.

Suddenly, the door opened, hitting me. I _oof_'d, and looked up at Deidara, who was looking at me _very _weirdly. I turned sheepish and scratched the back of my head. "Hehe…. Hi, hm." I blinked at my words, then burst into laughter.

Deidara raised an eyebrow. "Who are you and why do you look like me, hm?" he asked.

I released my Kawarigan, and he blinked when I returned to normal. I was still giggling when I stood. "I'm Natalie. Hi."

"…Hi. Wait, what was that, a transformation?"

"Hehe… something like that."

"Okay…. I'm going to Ichiraku, do you want to come, hm?"

I bit my lip. "Maybe in a few minutes. I need to practice this technique a little bit more."

"Okay, hm." He left, giving a little wave.

"See ya!" I called.

"Yeah."

* * *

I sat perched on the branch next to Itachi's window. He was my next subject. My Kawarigan was already turned on, so all I did was focus on him. He was sleeping at the moment, so he didn't notice me.

My hair became longer, creases forming on my face. I grinned, thinking I was done, when suddenly a whole lot of pain hit me like a ton of bricks. I gasped, and clutched my chest. Was this the pain Itachi went through every day?

"Itachi!" someone called, and I fell off of the branch to the ground.

* * *

I was walking over to visit Itachi in his hospital room, and found him instead on the tree nearby. "Itachi!" I called, and he fell off the branch he was perched on. I rushed over to him. "Itachi, are you alright? You shouldn't be out of your room, or moving around, you know that! How do you feel?" I asked, and put my am around him to help him to his feet.

"Like crap," he answered.

I blinked. "Alright, Itachi, let's get you to your room."

"Wait, can't I-?"

"No."

"Let me just—"

"_No._"

"But I need to—"

"_You_ need to get to your room and rest."

"But I'm not—"

"No. You need to go to your room and that's that." We rounded the corner and opened the door to his room. "Now don't do that again Ita—" What I see is Itachi, still in bed, looking at us, eyes glazed from slumber.

He looked at the Itachi leaning on me. I looked from one to the other. "If you're- …Then who-? What the hell is going on here?"

I was completely confused. "…I have a twin?" the Itachi in the bed asked. As I was about to answer, the Itachi beside me pulled away his arm and did a hand sign, slowly changing into… Natalie?

"Natalie… what the hell?" I asked.

"I _tried_ telling you it was me, but did you listen? _No_…."

I sighed. "I didn't know! You were exactly like him, even the chakra signature was the same!"

She blinked. "Wow. The Kawarigan sure can do a lot. Wait, I wonder…." Her eyes, Kawarigan activated, closed, and she concentrated. I leaned in closer, trying to figure out what it was she was doing. Lines began to appear on her face, but she squeezed her eyes shut tighter, and they retreated.

"…So I don't have a twin?" Itachi asked.

I looked at him and smiled sadly at his condition. "No. Sorry, Itachi. The closest thing you have to a twin is your younger brother, Sasuke."

"Oh, _right_." He smiled.

With a sad sigh, I looked back to Natalie. Her eyes were open now, Kawarigan free. I blinked. Her eyes were grey instead of blue. She whispered something under her breath, and her eyes swirled to red, becoming the Sharingan. "Holy crap! Sam, I can copy Kekkei Genkai, too! Not only that, but I really concentrate I can control my change into just one part of my body! I can do anything!" She took a sharp intake of breath. "Ow!" I blinked at her. "I have no idea how Itachi manages to go through this every second of every day…," she says, holding her head.

I looked back to Itachi. He was already back to sleep.

* * *

Day 2

There were thirteen days until the battle. Sam and I sat in the backyard of our house, relaxing before taking on the day of training. It was a small backyard, but it was a nice day, a cool breeze rolling in from the east. "How's your training going?" Sam asked, breaking the silence. Well, other than the birds and the rustle of the leaves in the wind.

"Good… though it'll be hard with no one to train me. Who's training you, by the way?"

She sighed. "Sasuke."

"Don't sound so disappointed," I said.

"…But I hate him."

"You should be nicer to the guy. He's innocent…now…ish…. Yeah."

"So? I'm not forgiving him. Plus, I still don't trust him."

I sighed, and rushed back into the house. I grabbed a piece of paper, and something to write with. I came back out, sat down, and used my leg for support as I wrote in plain English,

_Sasuke likes you. A lot._

I handed her the paper. She stared at it for a bit. "You're kidding me, right?" she eventually asked.

I shook my head. "Nope. And the only reason I wrote it instead of just telling you is because I tricked him."

She raised an eyebrow. "You tricked him?"

"Yup! I said to him that I wouldn't tell anyone. I _wrote_ to you, I didn't _tell _you, so I never broke my promise."

"O…kay…. But I still hate him."

I sighed. "You should be nicer to him. Feel sorry for him, even. He's not going to hurt Itachi of his own will. He likes you, Sam; the least you can do is be nice to him."

She heaved a sigh. "I'll think about it," she muttered, got up, and headed to the training ground.

* * *

Day 5

It was Wednesday, ten days until the battle; eight until we left for the Land of Waves. Sasuke and I were getting along fine, though I couldn't help teasing him every once in a while, especially when Suigetsu was around. It was just too fun.

It was still morning, and we were heading to the training ground when he suddenly stopped. Looking at his expression, he seemed to be pondering over whether or not to do something.

He turned to me, expression now calmer, more decided. "Sam, I know you don't trust me." I slowly nodded. "And I know you believe I have no other feeling besides hatred." I squinted at him, hoping he wasn't getting at what I thought he was getting at. "Well, I want to tell you now that… you're wrong. I do care for Itachi. I don't hate him the way I used to. I do have feelings. Sam… I really like you…."

"Oh my God, I knew this was coming."

He blinked. "…How?"

"Natalie told me," I said, crossing my arms. "Well, wrote to me. She promised not to tell anyone, so she wrote it down."

He put his hand to his face. "Natalie…," he muttered under his breath, then sighed. He scratched the back of his duck butt head sheepishly. "So… do you… will you...?"

"No." He blinked and looked back at me from the ground. I almost laughed at the fact that the great, calm Sasuke Uchiha was sheepish and unsure of what to say. I thought about what Natalie said, about how I should be nicer to him, feel sorry for him. "…But I'll give you this." I leaned forward and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. That was all, any one of you better not think I liked him back. I swear, you will die if you think I like him. I held out my hand. "Truce."

He just sorta stared at my hand a moment, then held out his own hand and shook it. "Truce."

I smiled. "So are we friends, then?"

He smiled back. "Yeah. Friends." Our hands parted, and we headed to the training ground.

* * *

Day 6

Thursday. Nine more days. "It's time for Itachi to come to court," Danzo said, coming into the hospital room. Court? There was court in this world? Huh, apparently.

"Ooh, court? Cool!" Itachi said happily.

"I'm sorry Danzo, but Itachi isn't fit to go to court right now," I said. Sasuke nodded in agreement from the other side of Itachi's hospital bed.

"But… I wanna go out. I haven't been out in a while," Itachi argued.

I gestured to him. "See? He's half-delirious and not himself. Can you change the date to another day?"

"What if he's worse by then? That wouldn't work out well."

Suddenly, it seemed as though he was right. "Yeah… maybe you're ri—" Natalie came through the door, cutting me off.

"Sam, don't let him influence you. Danzo can give you his own ideas or opinions, and make you think they're your own," she said. She then turned to Danzo. "The court meeting will be postponed until Itachi is more able to represent himself. I will alert Tsunade of this right now."

Danzo turned and watched her leave, his visible eye narrowed. _That girl knows too much, _he thought, then left. I blinked. That was good timing.

"Sam, I'm hungry," Itachi said. I sighed, and left to get him something to eat, leaving Sasuke to watch over him while I was gone.

* * *

Yep... this is the last part of the story... Yeah, i seriously think I was putting out my chapters too quickly. or maybe not. who knows? I hope you like the story so far, though! :)


	20. Part 10 Chapter 19

Sorry I didn't update on Saturday... or yesterday... but i was busy. sorry. :( well, this would be it...

* * *

Day 7

I grinned, hiding nearby Ichiraku, where I could see the front of the restaurant. Sam was pushing Hinata towards Naruto, who stood there, staring at them. I had told Sam that Hinata had already confessed to Naruto, and she immediately agreed to helping her to ask him out. Today was, after all, a break from training. We had trained for five days straight.

"Na… Naruto…," Hinata began. I could hear her from my hiding place.

"Yeah, Hinata?" Naruto asked, completely oblivious to the fact that she was blushing profusely.

Sam, behind her, held her up so she wouldn't fall over if she fainted. "Do you… remember what I said… that day?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh yeah…."

"Naruto…. I… I really… like you. Would you… would you like to… um… have dinner… together… tonight?" She gulped.

Naruto stared at her a moment. "Hinata… you…." My mouth dropped open when I heard his next words. "I… I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm with Natalie." I stared at him, annoyance slowly building up into anger. Although, I knew I really couldn't blame him.

Hinata's lip trembled, but she bit it, and turned away. "It's… okay Naruto." Tears streamed down her cheeks, unseen by Naruto. Sam was glaring at him, though he didn't notice. "I… understand." She walked away, and that's when I got up, revealing myself. **(A/N: This mini-plot filler thing is courtesy of AnimeLuver. Thanks for the idea! :D)**

I stalked over to Naruto and flicked his forehead. "Hey! What was that for?" he asked.

"What the hell was that? Hinata has loved you for the longest time, and you… you just shattered her hopes!"

"But we—"

"No, Naruto. I'm sorry. We've drifted too far apart, and I thought you realized that. But then, it took me awhile to realize it myself…. Now, do you like Hinata?"

"…Yeah?"

"No, answer with an actual answer, not another question."

"…Yes. I do. But I've never thought of it as that kind of relationship…."

I grabbed his shoulders. "Then try it! Now hurry up and go after Hinata, apologize, and tell her you've changed your mind and that it was a mistake." I snapped my fingers. "In fact, let's go get her some flowers from Ino's shop!"

I focused chakra at my feet and sprinted off, dragging Naruto behind me.

* * *

Day 8

The above affair ended well, and Hinata was relieved when Naruto told her. Hmm… a game of matchmaker…. It sounded fun to me, but I didn't really know who else would match well that I could do anything for. I eventually shrugged off the matter, and instead focused on the task at hand.

Right now, the task at hand was learning to sense others' chakra. Karin was training me to do so, as Kawarigan seemed to be quite sensory. Since she was a sensory type… yeah. It was now a week until the battle, Saturday, and I was expanding my training. I tuned back in to what she was saying. "…have to expand your senses, concentrating outside your body."

Kawarigan activated, I did as she said. I could feel Sam and Suigetsu sparring nearby, their sudden boosts and dips in their chakra level. I could feel Karin's in front of me. I could feel Sasuke's dormant chakra signature off to the side. I could feel Juugo's unbalanced, unsteady chakra beside him….

"Sasuke!" I called, opening my eyes. "Juugo's about to—" I was cut off, as right then he began to transform. Karin blinked at me, and I smiled.

* * *

Day 9

Sunday. The day Gaara came to the Leaf. Less than a week until the battle for Home. Home… we were so close. Half of me was excited, and the other half was afraid. I was afraid not so much for _my_ life, but for everyone else's. Yesterday, I had trained with Karin to master sensing others. I wanted to master it well.

As I sat on a bench near the hospital, I concentrated on expanding my senses. Many people in the Leaf Hospital were faint or slowly fading in and out. That was why it was harder to sense them. There were a few bright and easy to find people, but that was most likely because they were healing.

I was trying to pick out the individual signatures. _Ah, there's Itachi…. There's Shizune…. What's this?_

I then found a masked chakra nearby, that seemed familiar. I focused on it, making myself change into whoever it was so I knew who I had found. Then I'd be able to remember his or her chakra signature for later reference. I knew, though, that it was easy to be overwhelmed by the person's personality. I had to focus, so I didn't become an exact copy of that person, and forget who I really was. That would be bad.

I felt myself changing. I was tied to this person now. It wasn't like Hidan's curse mode, where if I got hurt he got hurt, but he could hear my thoughts if I wanted him to, and I could hear his thoughts easily. I had the same emotions as he did, but I could mistake them for my own if I didn't hold on to who I really was. Also, if I concentrated, I could control what part of him I got.

When I changed, I was bombarded with an overwhelming feeling of hatred. I nearly lost myself it was so powerful, but I held on to my own personality tight. I changed slowly and, now, hesitantly into who that person was. "Wow," I spoke to myself, then burst into laughter. That wasn't my voice. The voice I had now was much deeper. I tried going even lower, and succeeded. "Oh yeah," I said in an even deeper voice. I then giggled in the normal deep voice, which I found to sound weird. I then found I could only see out of one eye, but I didn't care.

Sam saw me then, and gasped. Sasuke, beside her, glared. I threw my hands into the air. "Who am I?" I asked in a sillier voice.

Sasuke and Sam ran up to me and each one grabbed one of my arms. "Don't play that game with us," Sam hissed in my ear.

I concentrated, and soon my hair was shoulder-length again, and I could see out of both eyes. Soon I was myself again. "So, who was I?" I asked.

Sam and Sasuke let go of me with a confused expression. "Madara," Sasuke eventually answered as they hesitantly let go of my arms.

"Hmm…. That would explain the heavy amount of hate I first felt…," I said. "Wait. That means that-! Guys!" I whispered loud enough for them to hear. "Madara is on that side of the hospital, not inside. We'll try to corner him. I'll try from behind. Sam, you go from this side, and Sasuke, you go from the back of the hospital. Okay?" They nodded, and I rushed to my destination, which I soon got to.

I stalked forward silently. I activated my Kawarigan, so I knew exactly where he was. However, I didn't pay attention to what was in front of me, and I stepped on a twig, snapping it and alerting Madara of where I was. …Oops.

I then decided it would be best to just charge, knowing he knew where I was. So, I charged. Right through him. I stopped myself before I could slam into the wall, and wheeled around to look at him, kunai in hand. He was right in front of my face, and I instinctively punched him where his face would be behind the mask. My fist went straight through.

I didn't call for my friends, knowing Madara may not know they were there. If I called them, I might give them away. Yeah, bad idea. "Hello, Natalie. How _nice _to see you again." It wasn't hard to figure out he was sarcastic. "I see your eyes have changed."

Said eyes narrowed. "Yes, they have," I answered, being careful not to glare into his visible eye. I couldn't use my Kawarigan, I knew that. If I did, he would know its powers during the upcoming battle. He would be at a disadvantage if he didn't know what it could do, especially since _I _knew what _he _could do.

"Come out, Sasuke," he said. "It defeats the purpose of hiding if I know where you are." Sasuke walked forward, sword in hand, with a scowl on his face.

Wait. What about Sam? Surely if he could notice Sasuke, Sam was revealed as well, right? Was she okay? "Alright, you've found me. There's no use staying if you know I'm here." He began to swirl away. "See you in five days." Then he was gone. How anti-climactic.

After making sure his chakra was completely and utterly gone, I ran around to the front of the hospital, Sasuke following behind. I found Sam lying on the ground, not far from where I last saw her. I increased my pace, and, when I reached her, gently pulled her to a sitting position. Her response was a groan.

I looked at her, she was still awake. I saw no cut or injury. I felt her forehead. It was warm; unnaturally warm.

* * *

"Food poisoning," the nurse said after she examined Sam. I really wasn't a medical person, so I just sorta took her into the hospital. She turned to me. "To be more precise, she seems to have ingested poison, most likely from food that was laced with it. What did you eat today?" she asked Sam, looking back to her.

"All I had today was some hospital food, nothing more," she answered quietly.

After a moment of thought, I knew exactly what that meant. "That would explain why Itachi has been worse lately…," I murmured.

The nurse blinked, then nodded. "The other patients have been considerably worse as well. I'll go and dispose of the remaining food, and make sure to give the patients clean food." Turning to Sam, she added, "Samantha, your body will soon dispose of the poison. You'll be alright. You're welcome to stay on that bed until you recover." With a smile, she left the room.

I looked at Sam. "Sasuke and I are going to alert Lady Tsunade of Madara's appearance." She nodded, and we left.

* * *

Day 10

Today was going to be the day Itachi went to the supposed court (which, by the way, wasn't the same as the court I know). It never happened, however. It wasn't because of Itachi's state, because Itachi was fit enough to go to court now since the food was un-poisoned or cleansed or whatever. You wanna know why it never happened?

I had a little talk with Tsunade the day before. It resulted in Danzo going to jail. All I did was tell her all about him, and she believed every bit. So… yeah. That went well.

* * *

Day 11

"Can we go on a walk today Sasuke?" Itachi asked. I understood perfectly. He had to be bored just sitting in a hospital room all day.

"Sorry Itachi, but I need to train Sam. The big battle is in just three days." Itachi sighed, and Sasuke smiled. "Forgive me, Itachi. Maybe next time," Sasuke said, then poked Itachi's forehead with two fingers, at which Itachi fell back on to the bed. He relaxed, sighing, a light smile on his lips.

I giggled. "Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

"Not anymore, Sam," Sasuke answered.

"Alright, Itachi, we have to go. See you later, alright?" I asked.

...No response.

"Okay?"

Nothing.

"Itachi?" I asked, beginning to get worried.

That's when the heart monitor went flat.

Sasuke's face was filled with horror. At first, I didn't know what to do. I had asked Natalie earlier today when I would have a chance to save the day. Well, now was my chance, and all I could do was stand there in shock, wasting precious time. I stared at his peaceful face, almost as though I were waiting for him to stir. To wake up.

…Then it clicked.

"Sasuke," I said firmly. He looked at me, his eyes wide. "Put your hands over Itachi's chest, and give him a shock; you may be able to revive him." He nodded, seeming in somewhat of a daze, doing as he was told. I watched as he gave him a shock, which reminded me of those hospital shows back at home. This time, though, it was real life, though not three-dimensional. "Yeah, like that," I said after it was done. "Keep doing that to try to get his heart pumping again. I'll go get a doctor." He gave a small nod and I rushed off.

I soon came back, Shizune in tow. She came with me immediately at my simple words of, "Itachi's heart stopped!" Now, all I could do was watch. Only watch. I couldn't help anymore, and that was painful. Just standing there, itching to do something, _anything _to help him. Now, it simply seemed unreal. Like this was just a dream.

The tension built in the plain, white hospital room. I could almost _feel_ it. Tears leaked from my eyes without warning, and I didn't even attempt to stop them. The long "_beeeeeeeeeeeee" _was intimidating. Haunting. A reminder of what was going on around me. So, being in the position of being unable to help, I watched Itachi's peaceful face. He looked… happy, for once. He wanted to die, didn't he? I set my lips in a straight line. _No. I'll do all I can to help._

Tears continued streaming down my cheeks. Sasuke shocked Itachi repeatedly, whenever Shizune ordered, "Again!"

I bit my lip. _I wish I could help…,_ I thought. I didn't dare speak this desire aloud, however, as that might interrupt the two's work. Right now, my job was to stay silent, and not get in their way.

"One more time!" Shizune ordered.

_One more. _One _more. That's all? There's nothing more we can do? _A wave of fear swept over me at the thought that Itachi was gone for good. "You can do it Itachi! You can pull through!" I cried without thinking. I put my hands over my mouth. _I shouldn't have spoken. I shouldn't have spoken. I shouldn't have spoken…,_ I repeated over and over in my head.

Shizune relaxed, sighing heavily after Sasuke had shocked him "one more time." The heart monitor was still flat. _No…. No…. No…. _"Can you… try one more time?" I asked, my voice cracking. How girly of me. Ugh, I _never _cry. But now….

Sasuke was still in shock; I could tell. His gaze wasn't direct; his eyes were still wide…. Shizune gave me a sad look. "Samantha…."

"Just… _please_."

She sighed sadly. "Again!" she ordered Sasuke, and he obeyed. I'm almost sure that if we ordered him to jump off of Tenshi Bridge, he would. (It was eventually rebuilt after Naruto destroyed it.) The shock came.

"_beeeee…."_

"Again!" The shock came.

"_beeeeeee…."_

I looked to the ground, beginning to feel discouraged. "Once more!" The shock came.

"_Beebeeeeeeeeee…." _

My head flew up to look at the monitor. My ears hadn't deceived me. A spike. A small spike. I looked back at Itachi's face as Shizune ordered, "_Again!_" He nodded vigorously and did so. Another spike. "_Again!_"

"_Beebeebeeeeep…. Beep…. Beep…. Beep…."_

All tension disappeared.

I felt shaky. Shaky and relieved. I was speechless. _He's alive. He's alive. He's alive…, _I began repeating to myself. _Oh, thank _God _he's _alive! I could see the slight rise and fall of his chest. He was _breathing._

I smiled in relief when his eyes squeezed tighter shut, then opened, staring ahead. His eyes looked to Sasuke, then his head slowly turned as well. My smile widened a bit. "…Sasuke?" he asked. He smiled in reply. He was still in that daze of shock, I could tell, but at least he responded.

His eyes turned to me, his head followed soon after. "…Samantha?"

I nodded happily, speechless. He was confused; I could see it in his eyes. "You're alive," I said quietly, finally able to speak somewhat.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shizune smiling. "…Why?" he asked, his voice weak. "Why am I alive?"

"Samantha and Sasuke saved you," Shizune explained when I found I wasn't able to speak again.

He blinked slowly, then turned his head to face the ceiling. "Why did you save me? Why? You… knew I was… going to… die… eventually. So why?" he asked, still struggling to speak.

"Because we _care_," I answered, and sniffed.

"...You're crying. For me. …Why?" Ah, why. Why is such a frequently asked question, is it not? It is a question you always feel needs to be answered. 'Why.' But then, why is also a question toddlers ask a lot, which gets annoying. Luckily, Itachi couldn't annoy me. That's beside the point, though.

"Because _I _care," I answered.

"Why…? Why would you… care… for me?"

"Because we _do_, Itachi. You are Sasuke's brother. Of _course_ he cares, now that he knows the truth. As for me…." _I love you, _was the answer, but I didn't say it aloud. Yes, I know, big surprise, right? I went from yelling "Uchiha scum!" to liking him. Yep... "As for me, well, what reason isn't there to care about you?"

He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry…," he whispered, then drifted into sleep.

* * *

Day 12

"Got everything?" Natalie asked me as I put one last thing into my backpack.

"Yeah," I answered. We were packing up our things to go to the Land of Waves; we were leaving today. "Natalie?" I asked as I slung my backpack onto my shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"Are you gonna miss this place?"

"Yeah…. But we'll come back. We will. …That is, if the portal still works after we're gone."

I looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "It's possible that the portal will collapse after we go through."

I blinked. "Well, I hope that doesn't happen."

"Me too."

We walked to the door, and Natalie opened it. I couldn't believe we were already heading to the Land of Waves…. Sasuke stood there, fist raised, as if about to knock. "You ready?" he asked, lowering his arm.

I nodded. "Let's go."

We first headed to Itachi's room, to say good-bye. I didn't know when I'd see him again after this…. He sat up when we got there. He looked tired; un-rested. "Bye Itachi," Natalie said with a smile, and leaned forward to hug him. Natalie had always been a hugger, and Itachi couldn't exactly stop her anyway.

Sasuke soon hugged him as well. "And to think, if I were this near to you a month or two ago, I'd want to kill you."

"Sam," Natalie said when he was done, "I need to grab a few more people, so Sasuke and I are going now. You can catch up; we'll meet at the village gates."

I nodded. "Okay." Then they were gone. I looked at Itachi. "Well… I guess this is good-bye…," I said, not quite sure what to say. "We'll be back. I _promise._ So… hold on until I get back, okay? Wait for me. I'll come."

He blinked.

"Good-bye Itachi…." It was on an impulse. I've no clue what came over me when I leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. "Until we meet again," I said, turning away from the stunned Itachi. "Wait for me. I'll be back. Bye… Itachi." Then I left.

* * *

I had already gotten Deidara, Yasuko had joined us, I had told Gaara to meet us at the gates, Sasuke had left to get Hebi, and now… it was time to get Hidan. "Alright, Hidan. I have a deal."

"Another one?" he asked, annoyed.

I nodded. "If you help us in the battle against the remaining Akatsuki members, you'll be able to use your curse mode to attack them. So, I thought you might want to join us."

His eyes brightened. "Fine by me!"

"But, you can _not_ attack anyone on our side. Okay?" He rolled his eyes. "_Okay_?" I repeated.

"Shut the hell up, I get it. It's a deal."

I held out my hand, and he took it. "Gather anything you'd like to bring," I told him. "We'll meet you at the village gates."

"'Kay," he said, and walked back into his house.

I looked to Deidara and Yasuko, behind me. "Now we just need Team Kakashi."

* * *

"Can we take a break? I'm getting tired."

"You get tired _way _too easily, Suigetsu!"

"Be quiet, Karin."

"S-sorry Sasuke!"

Sakura, Temari, Juugo and I sighed. Sam, Suigetsu, Kankuro, and Deidara rolled their eyes. Yasuko, Sai, Yamato, Kakashi, Gaara and Sasuke were silent. "Will you guys just shut the f**k up?" Hidan asked, getting annoyed. "Dammit, I wish I could kill you, motherf**ker!" He was talking to Karin.

Sam snickered. She hated Karin. A lot.

"_Excuse_ me? _What _did you just call me?" Karin questioned him angrily.

"A motherf**ker," Hidan answered. "Got a problem with that?"

"_Hell _yeah I do!"

"Would you prefer bitch?"

"_NO_!"

"How 'bout asshole? It fits you perfectly!"

"Stop swearing!"

"I'll say what I wanna say! It's _my _mouth, motherf**ker!"

"I told you not to call me that!"

"Then bitch it is!"

"No, it's _not_! I have a name!"

"So?"

"'So?' _'So?'_ I want you to treat me with a little bit of _respect_!"

"Not happening, motherfu—"

"_How about we play the Quiet Game?_" I asked loudly, cutting him off. I was getting annoyed.

"Motherf**king bitch…," Hidan muttered.

Then there was silence. _Finally…, _I thought.

Just a few minutes later, Suigetsu took a sip of his drink and said, "I'm bored."

"Me too!" Hidan added.

I sighed. "Sam, amuse them."

"Wha-? _How_?" she answered.

I shrugged. "I dunno."

"I'm kinda bored too…," Naruto came in. Sakura sighed.

"Okay…. Sam, what can we possibly do or play that would amuse all of us?"

"Truth or dare?"

"_No,_" I said firmly. That would _not _turn out well.

She sighed. "I've got nothing."

"You could tell us about your world," Sakura suggested.

"Uh… what do you wanna know?" I asked.

"Hm…. Do you have villages like we do?"

I thought on how to answer that. "Kinda…. We have villages, but they aren't _hidden _villages, like you have." Sam nodded in agreement. "Naruto, do you have a question?"

"…What country do you live in? I forgot…."

"The United States of America," Sam replied.

"Now you remember?" I asked.

"Yeah…."

"You're turn, Sai!" Sam said happily.

"…I can't think of anything."

"Okay…. Anyone else?" I asked.

"Um… what's the most famous artwork, hm?" Deidara asked. Huh, figures he'd ask about art.

"I don't know…. There are a lot of famous artworks…." I thought a bit. "…Maybe the… Mona Lisa?" I shrugged. "Sam, what do _you _think?" I looked behind me.

She shrugged. "I dunno."

"That was freakin' boring," Hidan said.

I heaved a sigh. "No wonder Kakuzu wanted you dead. You can be really annoying."

"Shut the hell up, bitch!" He paused. "Speaking of Kakuzu, how'd he die, anyway?" I smiled. This would keep them amused for a bit. So, I told the battle, and let Naruto take over at the point where he got there.

* * *

Day 13

Ah, it felt good to relax. In silence. Sweet, sweet silence. We ended up telling stories for the rest of the trip, which was actually pretty fun. Now, though, I was relaxing in the Land of Waves. It was night, and I couldn't sleep, since tomorrow was the big battle. Home was so close…. Well, since I couldn't sleep, I decided to simply try and relax.

Pain, Konan, Inari, Tazuna, Tsunami, and the villagers had been here to greet us. At first I wasn't quite sure why Pain and Konan were here, but they had probably been told of the battle through a messenger animal of some sort. With them, we discussed battle plans, and trained while we still could. Nothing much else happened.

I knew, though, that I needed to sleep. So, I thought from the beginning. The first dream, how I was almost killed, becoming Naomi, Mamoru…. Soon my eyes began to droop, and I drifted into slumber.

* * *

Day 14

It was the day of the battle. I couldn't believe it. The past two weeks had gone by quicker than I thought they would, and, looking back, it seemed as though the past three _years_ had gone by considerably quick. _Three years…, _I thought as I ate my piece of bread. I took a sip of my milk, finishing it in a few gulps. _I wonder how much time has gone by at home…._

I wiped my mouth with my arm, and headed outside. The sky was dark; filled with storm clouds. It hadn't started raining yet, but I knew it would soon. I leaned back onto the house, waiting for the others to come out. Sam was only just waking up, last time I checked. A breeze passed by, ruffling my hair and refreshing me. The cool breeze felt good. I've always loved the wind, as I've stated before.

I took a deep breath of the cool air, then let it out, sighing. It seemed like any normal day in this world. It just didn't seem like this area would become a battlefield so soon. Lives may be lost, many injured…. The villagers would be risking their lives, too. And they weren't ninjas.

I tried thinking of something else: the home that I was so close to now. The home I had been trying to find again for so long. I tried thinking of my parents. I furrowed my brow and frowned, finding I could only conjure up blurry figures. I couldn't seem to make out their faces. I knew their features, so I tried piecing it together, but it didn't work. I heaved a sigh. I was so glad I'd be going home soon. _Unless it doesn't work… Or I don't make it…. _I shook my head. _I _will _survive, and it _will _work. _

I knew the sleeping here theory didn't work, as I was able to sleep without disappearing. However, I _knew _the Land of Waves and Maxey Island were connected, so we _would _find a way to make it back. We would…. Wouldn't we?

I shoved away all feelings of doubt. "Something wrong?"

I jumped, not expecting the voice. "Jeez Deidara, you scared me!"

He chuckled. "Sorry, hm. And you call yourself a ninja."

I sighed. "Are any of the others ready?"

"Not yet, but a lot of them are almost ready."

I looked at him, then back in front of me. "That's good."

"…Except for Hidan, hm. I have a feeling he's just waking up."

I sighed again. "I'll go get him."

* * *

Well, here I was. In my hiding place. I was hiding in a place where no one could see me, and I couldn't see them. But, with my new-found sensing abilities, I was able to know exactly what was going on.

I sat down on a flat rock beside me. _Kawarigan! _With Kawarigan, I'd be able to simply look upon the battlefield. I took a deep breath, relaxing. Then I focused outside of my body, looking at the battlefield almost with ease. I was getting used to this. There was Hebi, the Sand Siblings, Team Kakashi, Deidara, Hidan, Sam, Pain and Konan, and Yasuko hiding in the trees to the far left. Then Inari, Tazuna, Tsunami, and the villagers were in the open, waiting for the enemy. Ahead there was a river, which led into the ocean, to the right. The ocean was beautiful, seemingly endless waves of blue.

There was chakra forming on the other side of the battlefield. I could _feel_ it. In a quick swirl, Madara and company appeared. I focused chakra in my ears so I could hear what they were saying. This was when it got a bit more difficult. I never was much of a multi-tasker. I looked over all of the enemies to see who was there. Kisame, Zetsu, Madara, and Yoshiaki, of course (although Zetsu was hiding, just sorta watching us all). There was also Kabuto, and I knew he was going to summon bodies. Wonderful. There were actually a considerable amount of other people, but I didn't recognize any of them.

"Now where are they hiding?" Madara asked. "_Surely _they didn't turn chicken and back out?"

A flurry of shurikan and kunai was flung their way, and all of them dodged with ease. Those hiding came out from the trees. Madara looked over the ninjas that came from hiding; his eye narrowed when his sight landed on Pain. Then he kept looking, until he noticed I was missing. _A surprise attack? _he thought. _What a poor attempt. I suppose I'll have to keep my guard up._

I smirked. Now I could focus directly on him. I let my sight disappear, and let the chakra disperse from my ears. I focused on Madara, and Madara alone. I felt his hatred, his determination. I focused hard, and I knew I'd have a _horrible_ headache when this was over. Soon, I heard what he heard, I saw what he saw, and his mind was an open book to me. I was careful not to think specific words, as he might hear them. He probably wouldn't, but I could never be too cautious.

For a minute or two it seemed as though each side would glare at one another the whole time. Then he thought, _If they won't make the first move… then I _will_! _ He smirked. "You know," he said, speaking to the opposing side of the battlefield, "I'd like to say something…."

A few of my allies narrowed their eyes. "What?" Sam asked, voice full of hatred.

"…That" – I changed something – "_I love nail polish! That's why all of Akatsuki wears it!_" His voice was shrill; well, a lot higher than normal for him, anyway. I was just saying any random things that came to mind. Sam smirked, knowing what was going on. He cleared his throat, and tried again, "I meant to say that _I'm a doggy! Arf, arf!_" He blinked, then narrowed his eyes. _What the hell? _He heaved an exasperated sigh. "Let's try _again,_ shall we?" I could feel his irritation. I tried switching yet another thing. Nothing happened. Well, poo. ...My mistake was I never changed it back. I tried something else. "I would _like _to say that _I _was wondering…." His voice trailed off. The battlefield began to spin around him. _No,_ he thought firmly, and his sight soon stopped spinning. Huh, I can make people feel faint too. Nice. "Okay, why don't we _just be friends! Bestest buddies!" _He stopped.

Sam cocked her head to the side and smiled. "What?" There were a few others in the crowd that were smiling, even slightly. Deidara, Hidan, and Naruto were among them.

"Never. Mind."

"Are you alright?" Kabuto asked in a nonchalant tone. This was when I screamed as loud as I could in my head, sending the thought to Madara's own mind. Naturally, he put his hands to his ears. The thing was, he couldn't block out the sound if it was _in_ his head. "What, you don't like my voice?" there was a hint of annoyance in Kabuto's tone. I stopped screaming.

"…You mean to tell me you didn't hear that?" Madara asked with skepticism.

"Hear what?"

"I think your going senile, old man!" Deidara said from the other side.

_What the hell? _Madara wondered.

_I'm your conscience…. I am those you have killed. I am the pawns you have sacrificed. I am your victims, calling to you in death to speak what is right; to haunt you until your demise._

Madara's eyes narrowed. _I know that voice._

I changed my voice to something in-between his and my voice, which sounded… different. Almost creepy. _Of course you know my voice. It is a mixture of all the voices of those whose death you caused. Itachi. Kushina. Minato. The Uchihas. So many lives…. And I am just a single thought. Only a mere fraction of their will._

_And you're the one forcing my tongue to slip?_

…_Somewhat. Look, what is right is to give up the fight, and befriend the Leaf. Your overall intentions are wrong. Wrong. Wrong…._

_No._

_But I am here to—_

_No._

_But—_

"No!" Everyone stared at him, wondering who the hell he was talking to.

Zetsu came out of the ground. "**Is something wrong?**" Zetsu asked. Who knows, maybe he would have risen an eyebrow if he could. Sadly, he only had one eyebrow.

He looked back to the opposing side, finding a few snickering, others simply smiling. "You. You think this _funny_. I'm not laughing." I switched something, and he started laughing hysterically. Oh, I loved being me. After a minute, I allowed it to stop, and by then he was gasping. Ninjas were trained for every attack but being tickled. Being forced to laugh hysterically was something like that.

I giggled within my mind. Then I remembered I was still connected to him, and he noticed.

"This isn't funny!" he said aloud, forgetting I was in his head.

"Why were you laughing then?" Sam asked, grinning innocently.

_I know who you are…, _he thought, speaking to me.

_Oh? Guess my name, and your baby will be saved!_ I thought to him, referring to Rumplestiltsken. Huh, I could remember that too. Yay me!

…_What? _He huffed. _Natalie…. This is Kawarigan, isn't it?_

_Yay, your baby is saved! Now, how did you know, hmm?_

_Kabuto._

_Oh…. Well, are you ready?_

_For wha—_

"_Dango!_" he shouted. This was the code word for "attack."

My allies shot forward, and I held Madara in place, so that he could be hit. "Madara is paralyzed," Kabuto said, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Oh!" Zetsu said, and he molded back into the ground. Oh, how nice of him. Besides, what kind of spy was he if he showed himself? Yoshiaki wordlessly moved in front of Madara to protect him; Kisame soon did the same. At the last moment, I left his mind.

I stretched, deactivating my Kawarigan. It felt good, after being confined to Madara's mind and having a headache all the while. I couldn't feel the headache while I was in Madara's mind, but when I went back to my own the pain hit me full on. I rubbed my temples; the pain was already subsiding. Then I got to my feet.

It was time to fight.

* * *

When I got to the battlefield, I found that it was just like any battlefield I'd seen on the TV at home, other than the fact that there was laughter – from Hidan, no doubt – in the background. _Home…._ No, now wasn't time to reminisce over memories. I rushed into the battle just as it started to rain.

* * *

"Kisame, go tell Zetsu we want the girl. The girl with the knowledge."

"Natalie?"

Madara nodded. "Oh… _great_," I said under my breath, then transformed into Madara using Kawarigan. When Madara was gone, and Kisame was about to leave, I walked up to him. I narrowed my eyes. "Where are you _going_? You _should_ be _fighting_."

"Uh, didn't you _just _say I was supposed to go tell Zetsu something?"

My eyes narrowed even further. "_No._ Are you imagining things?"

"Er, no." He turned around and swung his sword at a random villager. It wasn't very nice watching someone get sliced in half. Actually, it wasn't as unnerving as it should be, and that was unnerving in itself. I tried not to shiver as I walked away calmly, catching a kunai flung at me in the air. I returned to my normal self, listening carefully to hear what Madara had to say when he got back.

"Did you already relay the message to Zetsu?"

I smirked. How fun.

* * *

"_He always solidifies before he can absorb himself. And he always takes longer to absorb someone or something else. And he can only stay intangible for about five minutes at a time."_

That's what Konan had said about Madara before, as we made our battle plans.

I faked a right, then ran left, and jumped, taking out three shurikan, spreading them in my hand almost like a fan. I threw them at him, but he dodged with a simple kunai, and threw it at my arm. I landed, my feet sliding on the ground. I pulled the kunai from my flesh – it, luckily, wasn't that deep – and threw that at him instead.

Crap, I needed a strategy. I sucked at strategies. Sam was no better, but still. It was an important quality in the ninja world. I could make a clone quickly, then—oh wait, he had Sharingan. He'd notice. Wait, then why didn't he notice back then…?

Lightning flashed, thunder following soon after. The storm was close, and the lightning might actually hit the battle area soon.

Wait. Lightning. Fanfictions. The fanfictions! At home, there were so many fanfictions where the main character got struck by lightning then sent to the Naruto world. Was that the way home? I retreated from my face-off with Madara to talk to Pain, Konan, or Kakashi. And Sam. I needed to speak with Sam.

"It must be the way back to your world," Kakashi said to me when I reached him. "I remember, years back, an Uchiha got struck by lightning and simply disappeared on a mission in the Land of Waves. That's what the reports said. He was older though, so he couldn't possibly be alive now…."

I nodded. That had to be the way. We'd be leaving tonight. "Thanks for the information; I'll go tell Sam." He nodded, then whirled around and attacked and enemy behind him.

I ran to Sam, who was fighting Kabuto at the moment. "Ha!" he laughed as he summoned the bodies. My mouth was slightly agape when they opened. There was, of course, Kakuzu and Sasori. _But,_ there was also two others that I happened to remember: Katsu and Mamoru. How he knew of Katsu I didn't know – most likely from Madara – and Mamoru _was_ Orochimaru's subordinate.

I shook off the shock; I had something to do. But before I could do that, I had to fight. Of course, Katsu and Mamoru went for me while Kakuzu and Sasori went for Sam. Wow. Typical. As I fought with the two, I felt sick, knowing that these were the people, the _friends_ that had died right beside me. The only two whose death I had watched, or even _caused_.

I blinked away tears. I _couldn't _fight them full on. "Mamoru, Katsu! Just _stop_!"

"You _really _think they'll listen? They're under _my_ control, fool." He smirked. Why did so many people like the word fool in this show? I continued to fight, strengthening my attacks. He was right. These weren't them. They were just Kabuto in a different form, really. Just with the same powers, the same strengths and weaknesses Mamoru and Katsu had.

There was a break in attack; a villager I didn't know the name of had shoved himself into Kabuto, catching him off-guard. Huh, I didn't think he _would _be caught off-guard. Especially during a big battle.

I grabbed Sam by the shoulder and pulled her back. "We'll be leaving soon," I said in her ear. "The energy in the air from the lightning should be able transport us back to the real world." Her eyes widened. "Yes. It's time to say our goodbyes."

"During the fight?"

I nodded, then ran off.

* * *

"Here, have this to remember me by," Gaara said to Sam. "…In case it will be awhile before we meet again." He placed a small pouch of sand in Sam's hand.

She smiled. "Thank you." The battle raged around us, some bodies lying dead on the damp ground. No one was attacking us, partially because Kakashi and Yasuko were guarding us. Naruto looked around. "Uh…. Sorry, I don't have anything…." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"It's fine," I said. "I don't need an object to remember you by. I'll never forget you; it's impossible."

His sheepish…ness dissipated. "Send us a message in a bottle, okay?" Naruto asked. I smiled, and nodded. He had learned not long before that we were the ones who had sent those messages so long ago. This would be the way we knew the portal still worked. To my right, the river flowed quickly, almost overflowing from the rain. I turned to look to my left, as I had heard an all-too-familiar yelp. Sasuke was fighting with Madara, right there, and he wasn't doing very well. In fact, Sasuke was gasping for breath, almost unable to move. My eyes were fixed to him, to what was going on. Sam realized that Sasuke was about to be killed. Madara was gripping a kunai, and was about to stab it right in his chest. She gasped.

Time seemed to slow when the pouch of sand fell to the ground, as Sam moved forward instinctively. And yet, it happened so fast. "Sam!" I screamed; it hurt my throat, but I didn't care. Blood splashed from Sam's chest; blood came from her mouth. It was like when Yahiko had flung himself toward the kunai Nagato was holding to save Konan's life. Then, an overwhelming feeling of energy came over me, and irritating surge of power. It made me mad, almost; almost to the point of crying... ish. There was a bright light all around me; I couldn't see.

Then everything was black.

* * *

I felt a bed beneath me. My breathing was even, I wasn't hyperventilating. _I must be in a hospital,_ I thought. _I'm being treated, and—_ What had happened washed over me, of Madara, and Sasuke, and Sam saving him. My eyes flew open and I breathed in deeply. My eyes shut tight again as I coughed, curling tighter into a ball. This air was _filthy_. What kind of hospital was this?

I opened my eyes, then squinted when I found it was bright. _It was raining before… how long was I out?_ My eyes soon focused. My mouth dropped open.

I was in an old room. A room I had been in three years ago, when on vacation with my dad and Sandy. I was in my bed, just as I was that one night. I looked to the other bed; Sam was there, breathing steadily. She stirred, and sat up.

She looked at me, and grinned.

_We were home.

* * *

_

Here ends part 10, the final part of this story. There will, however, be an epilogue, which I'll put out on Wednesday. I hope you've enjoyed this story to this point; and thank you to those of you who have read to this point. Cookies for all of you! :D_  
_


	21. Epilogue

Epilogue

We knew it was real. It had to be. Otherwise we wouldn't remember the same things. Our parents wouldn't have cried when we got home. Our pajamas would still fit; Dad and Sandy would still be in the island home. Time would not have passed.

It had all happened.

It was a wonderful reunion, and it felt good that night lying in my own bed, which Mom hadn't gotten rid of, gladly. Sam was happy to be home as well, of course. And, when we got the chance, we went to the beach, sending a message in a bottle.

_Naruto – _

_We're __home__! Can you believe it? How'd the battle go?_

_- Sam and Natalie_

I threw it into the ocean, grinning, full of hope. I was almost _positive_ we'd get an answer. I knew the portal hadn't collapsed. It _couldn't _have. But...

We never got an answer.

We couldn't go back.

It was over.

Okay, I know the epilogue is short, but, well, it's an epilogue. I know some of my readers are sad this has ended and wish there were more, but GUESS WHAT? THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL! :D I don't know for sure when I'll put it out, I just want to get it going, get at least half-way through.

ALSO, for the sequel (the reason I keep saying "the sequel" is 'cause I don't have a title yet ^-^'), I will allow ONE (maybe two but I doubt it) person in the story. If you want to be the kid that has moved to where our school happens to be and... stuff... just say so in a review! :D For now, just tell your personality and who you might want to end up with, and I'll try and pick the person who would fit in the story best!

I'll work to get the sequel out as soon as possible, and I _might_ just throw in a few other random stories (most likely short) as well. So, uh, keep on the lookout, and I hope you liked Extended Vacation! :D

EDIT: Well, since there's been only one entry in a little over a week, it looks like misaai is the "winner!" :D Other entries, however, are still welcome, as I may be able to add one more character! :)

NOTE: Misaai, as a warning, if you don't say who you want to end up with and answer any questions I may have, I will have to end up molding those unknown parts of your character for myself. Sorry 'bout that, but... Yeah...

DOUBLE EDIT: Okay, I now have four readers in my story. I will allow only one more. Thank you for your entries! :)

NOTE #2: DarkAkastukiNeko, or Ash if you wish, the same goes to you. If you don't answer in time, I _will_ end up having to try and make it up on my own (although I hate having to do that). :( Sorry, but I'm trying to get this story moving along for you guys.

TRIPLE EDIT: (Wow, how many edits am I going to have to put here? Jeez.) No more people will be allowed in the story. Unless, of course, you feel like being an enemy. But I _kinda _doubt that. Anyway, there are now five people I have invited into the story. Huh. I only said one or two would come in. Weird. Well, I just have one other thing to say, and I'll say it in this edit 'cause there's really no point in putting in an extra note. Britt3899, are you Brittany, the girl who asked to be in the story? If you are, please tell me, because I want to contact you, but have no idea how. So... yeah.

**FINAL EDIT: The new story is finally out! :D It took a few months, but I got there! Yes! The sequal is called Twisted Vacation. Yes... :3**


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